All or Nothing
by SoraxKairi7
Summary: Kairi is a famous actress with a terrible attitude. She gets a lead role in a new drama alongside her co-stars, Namine and Roxas. Sora works at a small bar near the shooting location. After a long day of filming, a frustrated Kairi stumbles into this bar, but Sora's not about to take her crap. However, he can't help but be drawn to her. Cover photo made by yours truly.
1. Meet Kairi Hikari

**A/N:** New story time! I said I would be on a writing hiatus, but lately I've just been wanting to to write a love story. There will be drama, cuteness and humor. Some characters may be OOC, but when have I ever stayed true to anyone's character? I do not hate any of the characters. Updates will be sporadic, but please, if you like this, stick with it! As always, feedback is appreciated.

_Title song:  
All or Nothing – Theory of a Deadman_

I-.-I

**All or Nothing**

**Summary:** Kairi is a famous actress known around the world. Originally from Radiant Garden, she gets a lead role to shoot a drama on Destiny Islands alongside two other top actors, Namine and Roxas. She acts arrogant and self-centered, but inside she's soft, caring and a hopeless romantic. She often reads horoscopes and tends to go by them. Kairi doesn't like letting people see the real her. Sora works at The Shack, a small bar near the shooting location. At first he and Kairi seem to hate each other, but Sora can't help but be drawn to the troubled actress...

I-.-I

**One  
**  
_''We've got our backs against the ocean, it's just us against the world...'_

I-.-I

_Scene one. Take two._

_Cut!_

Scene one. Take three.

Cut!

Kairi was having some trouble acting.

She had been here on the beach the entire day—and she had forgotten to bring her sunscreen. Kairi took refuge in the shade as much as she could. Thankfully, the sun had retreated and now the night sky was upon them.

"Looking beautiful out there!" her director called out.

Her director's name was Terra Fitzgerald. He was only about seven years older than Kairi, but he was one of the most respected directors out there. Being able to work for him was a chance of a lifetime, but nobody really knew the stress that came from it. Terra was a perfectionist. He would shoot scenes over and over, only to end up saying he liked the first shot the most. However, that was what made his productions so successful. He held himself and his actors to the highest standard.

Kairi had gotten a lead role in a new, very anticipated drama about a love triangle. This was the first time she was shooting something away from her home, Radiant Garden. She was now on Destiny Islands, off on one of the remote islands away from the general population. Kairi's feet had been hurting for hours and she couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and unwind.

"Alright, everyone. Please wait a little bit while we prepare for the next scene." Terra said.

Kairi knew what a 'little bit' meant. It meant two or three hours. It was already nine o'clock and chilly, since they were right next to the shore.

She plopped into her chair and crossed her legs. Out of boredom, she got out her iPhone and began snapping photos of herself. At the last second, her co-star, Roxas popped in behind her just as she was taking a picture. Kairi rolled her eyes and was about to delete the photo, but he stopped her.

"Keep it. We look good together." he winked.

"Tch, I don't think so. I make _you_ look better."

"That's what I love about you, Kai. So direct." Roxas began massaging her shoulders. Kairi pulled away and smacked his hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" she gave him a defying glare.

"You're always so tense." He said and grinned. "Seemed like you needed it."

"Don't touch me ever again... and stay out of my selfies." Kairi proceeded to delete that picture from her phone, her mind, and her life.

"Hey," Namine, the other lead actress appeared, wrapped in a blue blanket. The girl was hardly 115lbs and got cold very easily. "Great job today, you two." she pulled up her own chair and sat across from Kairi. Her assistant brought them some coffee.

"Since we're off tomorrow, we should go around and see the sights." Roxas suggested. An assistant set a chair behind him. After getting comfortable, he spoke again. "I've heard great things about this place. Just look around! It's beautiful here." He winked at Kairi once again.

"My horoscope says you're stupid."

"No need to be rude, Kairi." Namine shot a worried glance over at Roxas, but he simply laughed.

"Don't worry, Namine. I'm used to her abuse. We are best friends, after all."

"Says who?" Kairi inquired.

They were all blinded by the light sequence that the technical workers were setting up. Annoyed, Kairi turned her chair to face the opposite direction and continued to play around on her phone. She didn't care if her co-stars were trying to have a conversation or not, she just wanted to be alone for the time being. She was exhausted.

Kairi, Namine and Roxas all went to the same university together. Although Roxas had been in the film and music industry for the majority of his life, he still felt the need to take acting classes and study. This baffled Kairi, why would he waste his time, she would wonder. During college, the three co-stars were in a love-hate relationship, mostly because of Kairi's unwavering attitude.

Kairi didn't let anyone get close to her.

She believed that if she opened up to people, eventually they would leave her.

Why she felt this way—she would never tell anyone.

Kairi had a natural talent for acting. She used it to cover up her imperfections. It had been a coping mechanism for as long as she could remember. She had worked hard to get to the top (with the help of Roxas), but her arrogance showed no matter where she went. She didn't have the best reputation with the people, but yet they still watched (and highly rated) her movies and dramas. People either loved her or loved to hate her.

Kairi didn't care.

"Alright, that will be all for tonight. We'll all meet here on Friday, bright and early. Enjoy your day off and rest." Terra told everyone.

Oh yeah, he changed his mind a lot.

"Kairi, want to ride back with me?" Namine asked sweetly. Kairi looked at her like she was crazy. Namine always knew that her answer would be no; she had no idea why she kept asking.

"Kairi, I'm not going to let you go back alone." Roxas said. "Come on."

"I can take care of myself." Kairi noticed a small shack in the distance. "I'll get a taxi back to the hotel."

"What taxi? There aren't any on this island." Roxas argued.

"Roxas, you have an appointment. Did you forget?" his assistant quietly reminded him. Unable to get out of this particular appointment, Roxas gave in.

"Alright, just make sure Kairi gets home safely."

"I told you, I'm fine by myself!" Kairi yelled and made her way over to the shack. Thank goodness for flip flops and maxi dresses, because the wind nearly knocked her over. Namine and Roxas left the beach. They had gotten used to Kairi going off by herself by now, even though they still worried about her.

The door creaked as she slowly poked her head inside. It was dim and if it weren't for the classical music, (that was already sending her into slumber), she would have never guessed that it was open. Simply called "The Shack," Kairi noted her surroundings. A bell rang as she stepped inside. The capacity was fifteen people, but the bar was empty. There were a few round tables set up on both sides, as well as a door to the left that led outside. There were some stairs on the right next to the counter. Kairi went up and sat on the bar stool. Nobody was around.

"Hello?" Kairi called out, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Just then, she heard the sound of a toilet flushing. About thirty seconds later, a young man came out. He looked to be around the same age as her.

"Sorry for the wait. My name is Sora, what can I get for you?"

Kairi blinked a few times. _'Does he not recognize me?'_

Sora handed her a menu. "We have some finger foods if you're hungry, as well as any type of alcoholic beverage you can imagine. Check out or specialty drinks on the back. All drinks come with complimentary water. Free refills on the water."

"Do you live under a rock?" Kairi asked bluntly, still amazed that he wasn't begging her for an autograph.

"Excuse me?"

"Did you not see all the cameras and flashing lights outside?"

"Oh..." Sora's eyes lowered, "...well, that's why the curtains are closed."

"Do you know who I am?" Kairi deadpanned. The boy just shook his head.

"Should I?"

Kairi didn't know whether to be relieved or insulted. She was one of the top actresses in the world and this boy was saying he had never seen her in his life. "Ugh, just give me a martini."

"Uh, sure." Sora began making the drink right away.

"You'd better put more gin than that." Kairi ordered as she watched him. Sora glanced up at her for a second, but nodded. He could feel the tension in the air and it was making him uncomfortable. Normally he would try to make small talk with his customers, but he just wasn't getting a good vibe from this girl. Garnishing the drink with extra lemon twists, he handed it to her. Kairi hadn't eaten anything in hours and knew it was a bad idea to drink on an empty stomach, but it had been such a long day that she didn't care anymore. Sora watched uneasily as she gulped down the cocktail like it was water.

"Another."

"So... are you a part of whatever they're shooting?" Sora decided to talk with her anyway as he made her another martini.

"Ha... are you kidding me?" Kairi pulled out her phone, but noticed that her wifi wasn't working. "Do you get wifi here?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"But it works fifty feet outside..." Kairi trailed off, she was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. Sora hesitantly handed her the new drink. Kairi grabbed it and drank a little slower this time, but still too fast for a normal person. "Could you change the music? I don't like it and it's putting me to sleep." Kairi's tone was arrogant and disrespectful.

"Could you change your attitude? I don't like it." Sora shot back. "I'm cutting you off."

"Wha...? You can't... cut me... off... I'm Kairi Hikari... top actress... most beautiful... in the world!"

"It doesn't matter who you are. You don't need anymore alcohol. Drink some water." Sora set down a glass of water next to her. Kairi knocked it onto the floor in a defiant and drunken manner. The glass shattered all over the floor. She finished her martini and handed it to him. She could no longer control herself.

Kairi was a lightweight, to say the least.

"Make me another. I want another."

"No." Sora quickly grabbed a broom and started sweeping up the glass on the floor, but to his surprise, Kairi placed her feet on the ground and started walking towards him and laughing. Although she was wearing flip flops, Sora still didn't want her to come near. He set the broom down and tried to stop her from moving by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You... don't know... who I am... that's... cute..."

Sora couldn't stand girls that weren't able to control their drinking.

"Wanna... make out?" Kairi giggled profusely. Sora managed to get her to sit down. He watched her carefully as he swept up the glass.

"Is there anyone you can call to come and get you?" Sora asked, a bit disgusted with her behavior.

"Can't you just take me home? I mean... to my home, not yours... stupid guy..." Kairi lifted her head up and stared at the ceiling. After a few minutes, she stood up, nearly falling over in the process, but caught herself on the table. Sora kept his eye on her as she stumbled across the restaurant. You would think he would be used to this sort of behavior, but none of his customers acted this way. The people of Destiny Islands were humble and modest, even when they drank. They knew when to stop.

"Hello?" Kairi answered the phone. "What do you want? I told you to never call me. No, you don't need to get me. I'm fine!" Kairi yelled and threw her phone on the floor, cracking the screen. She stepped right over it and went over to the other side of the bar. There was a picture of Sora, along with his best friend Riku and his Uncle Leon hanging on the wall. "Who are these people?" Kairi squinted, "oh, is that you?"

"Yes." Sora answered simply as he cleaned her glasses in the sink.

"The silver haired dude is hot. Give me his number." Kairi paused and looked around. "Where is my phone?"

"I'm not giving you his number. I think you should call that person back."

"What person?"

"The one that just called you."

"Oh, Roxas? Nah... I don't need to. I don't love him, but he's in love with me... of course, why wouldn't he be, though? I'm Kairi Hikari."

"Yes, I get it. But I've honestly never heard of you." Sora responded.

"And that's what I don't understand! You must not watch movies or have internet! I'm on the front page of Yahoo every week!"

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Sora asked. "I don't have a computer."

"You don't need a computer to go on the internet, idiot."

"My phone is pre-paid."

"It's... what?" Kairi began scratching her ears, as if she didn't hear him correctly. She made her way back over to the bar. Sora pulled out his phone and showed her. In a flash, Kairi grabbed it from him. Sora tried to get it back from the drunk girl, but she was already calling herself. Her phone buzzed on the floor where she left it. She dropped Sora's phone back on the counter and went to get it. Sora cleaned it off and put it back in his pocket, not happy at all.

"Don't give that number to anyone." she started laughing again. "Now you have my number. You have Kairi Hikari's number." she started walking towards the door.

"Hold on! You still have to pay, you know!" Sora ran over and blocked her from leaving.

"Pay? My presence alone pays... for everything... ha!"

"That doesn't work on me." Sora stayed firmly in place. "Pay up. The total is $12.50... plus $5 for the glass that you broke. Normally I would let that slide, but you were rude to me even when you were sober."

"Are you a Libra?" Kairi fell forward, leaving Sora no choice but to catch her. She rested her head against his chest for a few seconds. Sora was in too much shock to pull away. "What, are you going to take advantage of me or something? 'cause if so... I won't deny it now but I'll kill you later..."

"What in the world are you saying? What's a Libra?" This prompted Sora to slightly push her off.

_'Why is my heart beating so fast? This girl is... disgusting!'_

"Anyway, I'll take a selfie in front of the building and post it online. Your sales will go up immediately. Maybe then, this place won't be so boring and empty."

"I don't know what a selfie is, but you're going to have to pay like everyone else. Seriously... I have never seen a girl like you..."

"I get that a lot..." she stroked his collar flirtatiously, and then, much to his surprise, pulled him closer. Sora gulped, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the troubled actress. "Everybody," she began in a low, chilling whisper, "loves me... and I'll make you love me too..."

And before Sora could refuse, Kairi planted her lips right onto his.

_'No, no, no! My first kiss... will... not be taken... by... such a bitch...'_

It was.

Sora had no idea why his knees suddenly felt weak. He had no idea why he suddenly felt hot all over. He had no idea what was going on... at all.

Kairi, in all her drunken glory, could feel the vomit coming up her throat. Sora's keen senses allowed him to pull away right before she threw up all over the floor.

This was not the kind of night that he expected.

I-.-I

**A/N:** BUAHAHA! Well?! What do you think, my loves? Prepare for craziness, because I think after writing this chapter I've been inspired again! Of course, your **_reviews_** are definitely important! So write something in the cute little comment box! Like it? Hate it? Want me to update in ten seconds? Want Sora to show up at your house singing Christmas carols at the end of May? I CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN! Well... I mean... uh...

-runs off-

Also, I am tempted to bring back Zexion's corner.

**Zexion:** You'd better fucking bring back my corner... and don't forget to feed me!

Basically, you just ask Zexion random questions or tell me what to feed him.

**Zexion:** I'm allergic to vegatables.

Review!


	2. Paparazzi

**A/N:** Holy fudgebunnies, I didn't expect everyone to like this so much! Therefore, I present you with a brand new chapter!

I-.-I

**Chapter Two**

I-.-I

Sora tried his hardest to hold back from vomiting as he cleaned up Kairi's mess. Somehow he managed to get her in a chair. She had passed out right after throwing up. Sora called his friends, Riku and Xion and begged them to come to the bar. He almost considered drinking from all the stress, but one look at Kairi and that idea was thrown out the window. Waiting for them to get here felt like an eternity. Finally, ten minutes after eleven, they arrived.

"There's no way Kairi Hikari is here-" Xion said as she walked inside, stepping over the newly polished floor. Riku came in behind her and they both just stared in awe (and shock) at the actress slumped over on the table. Sora was at the bar, ready to rip his hair out.

"S-Sora... what happened?" Riku asked, not taking his eyes off of Kairi.

"You don't want to know..." Sora mumbled.

"Oh, I'll find out." Riku went straight over to the security camera.

"No!" Sora rushed over to stop him. Riku, being a lot taller, held the camera over the boy's head. Sora just gave up and sighed. "Anyway, can you two do me a favor... and take her back to wherever she came from?" Sora blushed a little, but tried to hide it from his friends.

"How would we know where to take her? Why can't you do it?"

"I-I'm... working!"

"This place is dead and it's almost time to close." Riku said matter-of-factly. "I know because I work here too. If you want me to cover for the last thirty minutes, I can do that."

"No! Just take her to the hotel or something!"

"Sora, she doesn't know us. She would call the police." Xion said. "I don't want to be the notorious kidnapper of Kairi Hikari..."

"She's not that special." Sora said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Besides, her phone is probably broken. She dropped it earlier."

"Sora... we... can't..." Xion trembled, "its _Kairi Hikari!_"

"Come on, Xion. Let's just take her to that huge hotel on the other side of the island. Pretty sure that's where all the celebrities will be." Riku told her. "Help me lift her."

"Thank you so much..." Sora sighed in relief. There was no way he would have been able to take her back. He didn't want to even be on the same island with her.

I-.-I

Xion and Riku parked in front of the Grand Destiny Hotel. Kairi was still passed out in the back seat; there was a crowd of paparazzi flooding the entrance.

"What do we do now?" Xion asked Riku worriedly. "We can't let her out like this!"

"Huh...?" Kairi grumbled in the back seat.

"Riku! She's waking up!" Xion shrieked. "I don't want to go to jail!"

"Stay here." Riku jumped out of the car, opened the door to the back seat and pulled Kairi out. Kairi became much more alert and started to scream, but Riku just dropped her on the gravel and rushed back to the driver's seat. He started the car and sped off before anyone could reach them. Unbeknownst to him, a business card from the bar dropped from his pocket near Kairi.

"Riku! What the hell!" Xion clung to the handle bar above her.

"Don't... ask... questions. Just roll with it." Riku said nervously. It may have not been the best idea, but it was a split second decision. Riku and Xion went back to the apartment that they shared and didn't speak of it for the rest of the night.

I-.-I

Kairi realized she was on the ground. She realized that there were a bunch of cameras and flashes pointed straight at her. She realized her head hurt tremendously but she could not figure out why or how she got here in front of the hotel.

"Miss Hikari, are you alright?"

"Miss Hikari, who was that man?"

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Where did you just come from?"

Kairi's head was spinning. She had no idea what was going on. The flashes only made it worse.

"Move!" Roxas' voice was heard and she saw him pushing through the reporters. He picked her up. Kairi finally snapped out of her reverie and stood up straight, clearing her throat. Even though her head was pounding, she had to keep her cool and not look vulnerable.

"Kairi, are you alright? Who brought you here?" Roxas questioned anxiously.

"I'm going to my room." Kairi shoved the paparazzi out of the way and headed inside. Bodyguards blocked them from following her. Roxas caught up and grabbed her hand.

"Kairi, let me walk with you."

"Leave me alone. My head hurts."

"I'll bring you something. Anything. What would you like?"

"I would like you to go away."

Kairi pressed the up button on the elevator and searched through her purse for her room key. Once she found it, the elevator doors opened and she stepped inside. Roxas went in with her and stood on the opposite side of the elevator in silence.

_2__Nd__, 3__rd__,..._

_'What in the world happened tonight...?" _Kairi pondered, but her headache just made her want to fall asleep. She could hardly remember anything.

Roxas followed her all the way to her room. Namine, who was right across the hall, opened her door slightly.

"Oh, hey. Kairi, are you just getting back?" she asked. Namine was wearing a white bathrobe and her hair was tied in a bun. Kairi didn't answer her and just went into her room and shut the door. Namine looked to Roxas for an explanation, but he just sighed and shrugged.

"Goodnight, Namine." Roxas turned to walk down the hall. He was just a few rooms down.

"Roxas?"

"Yeah?" he turned and looked at her.

"Do you... want to hang out with me for a while? I'm kind of... lonely right now." Namine blushed and turned away. "I... I mean... never mind! Goodnight!" she quickly shut the door.

"Huh...?" Roxas was confused, but he didn't dwell on it. He returned to his own room.

Namine leaned against her door, completely embarrassed. She couldn't believe she just said that.

She has had a crush on Roxas for a long time.

"Who am I kidding... he likes Kairi..." Namine sighed and fell onto her bed. She was just a shadow compared to her co-star. She was always in the background. Even though Kairi didn't give Roxas the time of day, she still felt like there was no hope sometimes. Namine was too nice. She hated confrontation, even though there were times when she just wanted to call Kairi out for how rude she was... especially to Roxas.

"Roxas doesn't deserve to be treated that way... I can treat him right. Why can't he see that?" Namine sighed and just lay there, still feeling stupid for saying that to him.

"He must think I'm weird now..."

I-.-I

Kairi was washing her face. The water felt a little better on her head, so after getting into her pajamas she took some Advil and ran cold water on a hand towel. She tied it around her head and stood there for a moment, taking in the sensations. It made her feel so much better. She brushed her teeth and went over to her bed. Her phone wouldn't turn on; the screen was cracked.

"Stupid thing..." she threw it on the floor and grabbed the remote. Kairi flipped through the channels. "What the hell happened tonight? I can't remember at all..." she settled on E!. The celebrity on there was her idol.

Aerith Gainsborough.

She was flawless. She was everything that Kairi wanted to be. Kairi looked up to her as a role model. Aerith was the true top actress and singer. She was very well respected and well liked, compared to Kairi who was just considered stuck up. Aerith donated to charities, had conversations with her fans on social media sites and always posed for a picture when asked. She was on an entirely different level. She was in her forties, but she looked twenty. Aerith was strong and hardworking.

Kairi wanted to be like her, but her attitude got in the way.

"Oh well."

I-.-I

Sora got home around midnight. He lived in a small, one bedroom beach house about half a mile east of the Grand Destiny Hotel, where they assumed Kairi was staying. Only the richest people went there—and the snobbiest. It was built less than two years ago, so Sora was here first. He enjoyed his little private retreat up until then, but was too lazy and stubborn to move. Sora changed into his pajamas and sat on the edge of his bed. He paused.

"My first kiss was ruined by a stuck up..." he couldn't finish his sentence for some reason; his cheeks warmed up and he had a funny feeling in his chest. "What is wrong with me? Ugh..." Sora stretched on his bed and closed his eyes. "It meant nothing. She was drunk."

_'Keep telling yourself that.'_

_'No, I hate the media. I hate celebrities. They're all the same...'_

It was more personal than most people would ever know.

Sora rolled over a few times. He just couldn't get comfortable. Even though Kairi was everything he hated, she had thrown him for a loop the moment he saw her. The entire night seemed like a blur now. He had never encountered anyone so annoying... and beautiful.

"She may be beautiful on the outside..."

But she had the ugliest personality he had ever seen.

This reason alone satisfied him and he was able to fall asleep.

I-.-I

The next morning, Kairi's manager banged on her door frantically.

"Marluxia, what the hell do you want?!" Kairi yelled.

"Kairi, why wouldn't you answer your phone?! You have to check the front page of Yahoo! People are going insane!"

Kairi opened the door and let him inside. "My phone is broken. I can't."

Marluxia's mouth gaped open, but he quickly snapped out of it and pulled it up on his phone. "What is THIS?!"

Kairi took the phone. The headline read, "Kairi Hikari gets drunk and kisses bartender. Throws up right after." There was a video attached of an overhead view of her at the bar. She gasped, but continued to watch. It showed her pull the guy towards her in a drunken manner and kiss him. Sure enough, she vomited all over the floor. There were thousands of comments below, calling her bad names and saying that they felt sorry for the guy. Kairi nearly dropped the phone. Marluxia snatched it from her. "What the hell is this!" he scolded again. "Do you KNOW how bad this is for your image?! People already hate you enough and now they're going to-"

"I know! Just shut up! I was really drunk... damn it... so that's what happened..." Kairi struggled for the right words to say. Pretty soon Namine and even Roxas were at her door, questioning her for the same reason.

"Kairi, you know Terra doesn't like this sort of publicity! What were you thinking?!" Namine yelled.

"That bastard... he pretended not to know me or know anything about the internet and then he posts the security tape online?!" Kairi's blood was boiling. "I'm going to kill him! Get out!" she forced them all out of her room. Frustrated more than she had ever been, Kairi took a quick shower, threw on some makeup and a nice, skimpy purple dress. Kairi tried to ignore the derogatory comments in her head as she put on white flats and sunglasses.

If she was going to take him down, she would do it in style—the Kairi Hikari way.

I-.-I

Sora got a call from Leon, his uncle and the owner of the bar.

"Sora, you need to come down here and fix this, right now!"

"Huh? Fix what?" Sora heard a lot of noise in the background. "What's going on?"

"Someone broke in last night and stole the security tape and now our bar is all over the internet because some famous celebrity kissed you! GET DOWN HERE NOW BEFORE I GET OUT MY SHOT GUN!"

Time nearly stopped.

"...someone... broke in...?"

But Leon had already hung up the phone. Sora called Riku and Xion immediately.

"Morning." Riku answered, sounding casual.

"Riku! Didn't you take her back?!"

"What? Yes..."

"Well, come with me! Leon is about to shoot everyone if we don't hurry up!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Just come and get me!"

I-.-I

Sora and Riku arrived at The Shack. The huge crowd was mixed with citizens and paparazzi alike. Leon had locked himself inside; he must have been pissed. "Sora, you still haven't told me what's going on!" Riku yelled, overwhelmed by all of the people.

"Kairi kind of... kissed me... and I guess it somehow got all over the internet..." Sora's face reddened.

"She what?!"

"Leon said someone broke in."

"Well, shit." Riku prepared himself. "Well, looks like you'll just have to tell your side of the story."

"I can't do that!" Sora said.

"How else are we supposed to make these people go away?!" Riku argued.

Sora and Riku got out of the car and slowly walked towards the crowd. Someone turned around and recognized Sora right away as the bartender from the article. The crowd came towards them and bombarded them with a million questions. Sora was speechless-Leon going on a killing spree was actually sounding like a reasonable alternative now.

"Is it true that Kairi Hikari got drunk and made out with you?"

"Are you two secretly seeing each other?"

"Did you sleep with her?"

Sora was getting extremely overwhelmed. This was exactly the kind of attention he hated.

"Did she force herself on you?"

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Would you do it again?"

Too many questions. Too many people...

This was all too much...

Leon came out of the bar and loaded the shotgun. He shot up in the air, startling everyone. Riku and Sora took this chance to run into the bar with Leon and lock the door. They shut all the curtains and made sure that there was no way for anyone to get in. Leon set the shotgun behind the counter and sighed heavily. Sora hadn't seen him this stressed since...

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Leon said in between breaths.

"I swear, she came onto me! I couldn't do anything!"

People still crowded around the bar. It was too noisy. Then, the noises died down for a moment and they heard someone call out Kairi's name. Sora froze. _'Is she here...?!'_

She was-along with Roxas, Marluxia and some bodyguards.

"YOU'D BETTER GET OUT HERE!" Kairi called from outside.

"Kairi, don't make a scene," Roxas pleaded.

"Oh, I will!" she banged on the door. "I don't remember your name but I know you're in there! How dare you do this to me?!"

"Oh, so its _my_ fault now?!" Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She wants to be the victim?! Oh, _hell no_."

Leon was right, Sora needed to fix this-and fast.

I-.-I

**A/N:** There you have it. Chapter two. BOOSH! Oh my gosh, I was so happy to see that you guys wanted more of this.

**Zexion:** Why couldn't I be Kairi's manager?  
**Me:** Because I love stereotyping Marluxia's character and frankly, you would be a terrible manager. You solve all of your problems by reading Catcher in the Rye.  
**Zexion:** So what?!

Please leave **reviews**!


	3. Storm

**Chapter Three**

I-.-I

Marluxia called for more bodyguards and tried his hardest to keep the fans and paparazzi alike away from Kairi and Roxas. Roxas was surrounded by a bunch of girls begging for autographs. Kairi continued to pound on the door of The Shack.

"Get out here, you bastard!"

Sora listened on the other side; he was getting a headache from all of the noise.

"Sora, you'd better do something about this!" Leon demanded.

"I'm going to report you for sexual harassment!" Kairi yelled, not really meaning it. However, this caused Sora to snap. He opened the door and stepped out. The cameras flashed in his face. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye he saw a fan jump forward towards Kairi. Sora swiftly grabbed her, pushing her against the wall in the process and successfully blocked her from getting tackled by the crazy fan. Kairi's eyes were wider than saucers. Sora then reached for the door handle, pushed her inside and locked it behind them. Kairi flew back from the impact and hit the floor.

"What is your problem?! First you seduce me, post it online and now you're abusing me?!" Kairi yelled.

"You're full of it, you know?" Sora didn't even bother to help her up. Kairi's dress was so low-cut that he couldn't look at her without getting embarrassed. Kairi got herself up and stormed towards him, getting all up in his face. Riku and Leon just watched in confusion.

"You're nothing but a jerk!" Kairi shoved him back with her hand. Sora refused to make eye contact with her. "You're a liar and just... just... UGH!"

"I didn't post anything online. I told you, I don't have a computer." Sora said as calmly as he could.

"Bullshit!"

"Cursing isn't very attractive."

"I DON'T GIVE A-"

"Will you just shut up?!" Leon intervened. "Listen, lady... last night, someone broke in and stole the security camera." He grabbed her arm and made her look in the direction of the broken glass door on the side of the bar. There was a rock on the floor. "See? Someone threw a rock and broke it, then opened the door." he pointed up to the corner of the ceiling. "That's where the security camera used to be. As you can see, it's not. Why would my own employee go to such lengths?"

"Let go of me, old man." Kairi pulled away. Although he did have a point, Kairi was too stubborn to give up that easily. "He still... seduced me when I was drunk!"

"This kid?" Leon patted Sora's back. "He's never touched a girl in his life... well, until now."

"Uncle..." Sora blushed severely.

"Yeah, Sora's the only guy I know that has never even hugged a girl." Riku joined in.

"Alright, just shut up!" Sora went over to get the broom. "I'll clean it up."

"Anyway, Kairi I don't think you have seen the video. You clearly came onto him, whether you were aware of it or not." Leon said. "I think you owe my nephew an apology for taking his kissing virginity." even Leon was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"She's forgiven... as long as she gets all these people to go away!" Sora shouted, still very uncomfortable with the situation. Kairi wasn't sure of how to respond, but she was starting to feel bad for the guy. However, of course she didn't want to show it. "She got drunk and kissed me. That's all that happened." Sora said finally.

"I did not."

"You can deny it all you want, but there's evidence." Sora shot back.

"Maybe you're secretly in love with me!" Kairi raised her voice.

"Oh, get over yourself." Leon said. "Time for you to go. We'll forgive you this time, but you and your little paparazzi friends are not allowed back here. I'm very good at aiming." Leon pointed over to his shotgun and made Kairi a bit nervous, but before she had any time to respond, he was pushing her towards the door.

"So you're not going to make her pay?" Sora asked. "She still owes-"

"I think a video online is enough punishment. People are mean." Leon reasoned.

He was right. People were brutal.

"Listen, I sympathize with you." Leon told her. "Sora and I both do."

"Don't pity me." Kairi said stubbornly. She noticed Sora look away. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you could. Go on, now."

I-.-I

Roxas was finally able to get away from the crowd. His cell phone went off—it was none other than Terra.

"Yes sir?"

"You and Kairi need to meet me right away." Terra said and hung up before Roxas could ask where he was. Marluxia came up to him, knowing exactly what had just happened.

Police and extra bodyguards were able to restrain the crowd and get them under control. Roxas saw Kairi step out of the bar and went over to her, along with Marluxia. She looked like she was lost. Kairi's mind was elsewhere. She didn't know how to feel about Sora and his uncle at the moment. She had never had anyone stand up to her like that.

_'And he sympathizes me? What does that mean? Why did Sora look so sad...? Why am I thinking about this?'_

"Kairi, Terra wants to see us right away." Roxas told her. "Are you alright?" he put his jacket around her and covered her up. Kairi followed him to the car without a word.

Inside, Sora, Riku and Leon all sat around in silence. Leon and Riku knew exactly what was on Sora's mind.

"You miss her, don't you?" Leon asked. Sora didn't respond, but the answer was written all over his face.

"I don't pay attention to the media for a reason."

"I know. It's hard for me too." Leon said.

Sora sighed. The crowd had finally left. "I'm going to get going."

"I'll take you." Riku said, but Sora refused.

"I'll go alone."

I-.-I

Kairi and Roxas made it back to the hotel. Terra had a suite on the 6th floor. Two bodyguards were standing outside of the door. They let Roxas, Kairi and Marluxia inside. Namine was already there, sitting on the couch and looking very nervous. Terra was sitting with his legs crossed in a recliner. Roxas and Kairi took their seats and waited for their boss to speak.

"I'm pretty sure you understand why I called you here." Terra began.

"Y-Yes, sir." Namine and Roxas answered quickly, but Kairi just stared off into the distance and looked as if she wasn't even paying attention.

"Miss Hikari, I'm going to get straight to the point." Terra leaned forward. Kairi glanced at him, but then back at the wall again. Inside, she was afraid. Inside, she was weak.

"Okay." Kairi coughed out.

"I'm putting you on home-bound—or in this case, hotel-bound. You are not to leave unless we are filming. If this sort of thing happens again, I will not hesitate to permanently replace you. Your career will be over and I will not care one bit."

Kairi wanted to protest, but she knew that he meant it.

Yuffie Kanagawa was a popular actress and singer that worked for Terra at one point and time, but a scandal happened and she was immediately fired. She hasn't gotten any acting jobs since.

"The same goes for you two." Terra said to Namine and Roxas.

"It will never happen, sir!" Namine assured him.

"Same here!"

"Tch," Kairi mocked the two suck ups.

"Is there a problem, Miss Hikari?" Terra asked.

"No."

"That's what I thought. Now go. We will film scenes six and seven bright and early tomorrow."

Kairi returned to her room. Right before going in, Marluxia handed her a new phone. "Take care of it... please?" he pleaded.

"Whatever." Kairi took it and went in. After getting dressed into more comfortable clothes, Kairi lay out on her bed. "Hotel-bound, huh? Yeah right. They can't keep me here." Kairi inserted her old SD card into the new phone and began browsing the internet. Articles about her were everywhere, even ones of her confrontation at the bar. There was a picture of her in the low cut dress. People were saying terrible things about the way she looked—and just her in general.

_"She has no class."_

_"What a whore. She probably slept with him."_

_"I will never watch her drama."_

_"I can't believe my daughter looks up to her. Maybe that's why she's now 16 and pregnant."_

"Someone looks up to me?" Kairi said aloud, a bit surprised. She was about to click on the person's screen name, but a call interrupted her. "Hello?" Kairi answered rudely.

"Whoa, hey sis."

"What do you want, Axel?"

"Do I need to beat someone up? Heard you were getting steamy with a bartender and now he's denying it."

"You heard wrong." Kairi was about to hang up, but he stopped her.

"Listen, sis... don't read those comments. Those people know nothing about you. They act like they've never done anything wrong in their life."

"I don't need the pep talk. Bye."

She knew Axel was right. She knew she shouldn't read about herself online.

Axel was the only family she had. He had learned how to deal with Kairi's mood swings, so her rudeness was just natural to him. However, Kairi truly did respect and care about her brother and knew that he cared about her. He always had impeccable timing when she was feeling down, but part of that could be because he could see the articles too.

Online, people could say anything, but when it came to saying it straight to her face, they were cowards.

"They don't know me..."

I-.-I

Later that night, Roxas and Namine decided to go down to the hotel restaurant and eat dinner together. Roxas wanted to invite Kairi, but she wasn't answering her phone. The two sat in silence and waited for their food. Namine looked over her lines to pass the time, but every now and then would glance up at Roxas. He seemed worried—and she knew exactly why. Soft music played in the background. A candle was lit on the table and made for a very romantic atmosphere, but it was anything but.

"I'm glad you're my friend, Nami. You're always here for me." Roxas said finally.

"Oh... yeah. So am I."

"I keep telling her not to drink... why won't she ever listen to me?" Roxas almost felt like laughing about it, but deep down he just felt bad.

"You know Kairi... she's the most stubborn girl in the world..."

And Namine was always making excuses for her.

"That's true..."

A waiter set their food down. Roxas and Namine smiled and thanked him. In many ways, they were so alike. Namine knew everything about him and vice versa. Their personalities matched. He was the type she could bring home to her parents and so was she. They liked the same music, the same movies and even the same colors.

_'Would he ever see me that way...?'_ Namine thought to herself as she watched Roxas cut up his steak into smaller pieces and put down his fork every time he started chewing. He never put his arms on the table and always sat up straight with a napkin in his lap. He was very well mannered.

Completely different from Kairi; the perfect match for Namine.

But he wouldn't look her way.

I-.-I

Kairi put on a coat, tied her hair back and covered herself with the hood. Instead of glamorous clothes, she put on sneakers and sweat pants. There was no way she was going to be cooped up in this room all the time. She was sure that Terra would have at least placed some bodyguards outside her door, but he didn't so she was free to roam. Kairi was able to get out of the hotel without incident and headed towards the shore. She walked along the coastline. The hotel got smaller and smaller in the background as Kairi went further.

_'Kairi Hikari is an ugly, fat slut!'_

_'She'll probably end up in rehab.'_

_'I bet she got plastic surgery. Those boobs can't be real.'_

The comments were painful.

"They're just bored with their own lives..." Kairi tried to tell herself, but it wasn't working. She needed to get as far away from civilization as possible. She was about to break down and cry.

The wind picked up and it started to thunder. "Oh, great..." Kairi said sarcastically. She noticed a small light up ahead. As Kairi got closer, a dock came into view. There was a lantern set down and it looked like there was someone there. As Kairi got closer, she saw that the person was tying up a boat to the dock. The wind got even stronger. Not far from the dock was a small house.

"Who's there?" the guy picked up the lantern and squinted his eyes. Kairi froze.

"Crap..." she tried turning around, but just as she did so, a downpour started and she was soaked. She heard the person coming up to her.

"Miss, are you-" he stopped when he saw who it was. "Oh... what are _you_ doing out here?"

It was Sora.

The rain continued to fall. The waves were getting farther up the shore.

"Listen, there's a huge storm coming in so you may want to hurry up and get home." Sora yelled over all of the noise from the wind and rain.

"I... can't! I came here by myself."

_'...please don't make me do this...'_ Sora thought to himself. He really didn't want to let her in his house, but the rain was getting worse and he didn't have much time to think.

"Come on," Sora grabbed her hand and ran with her towards his house.

"Hey, where are you taking me?! Kidnapper!"

"Do you want to stay out here or come inside where it's warm? No matter what you choose, I'm going inside!" Sora said. The wind nearly knocked the petite girl over. They were both already soaked. Kairi wanted to be stubborn. She didn't want him to think she was weak or vulnerable.

Lightning struck in the distance, making her panic. Truthfully, Kairi hated thunderstorms.

"Just get inside!" Sora opened his door. Kairi ran in. She began to shiver. Once Sora was able to successfully secure his door, he too felt a bit chilly. He hurried to get her some towels and threw them around her, much to her refusal. "I can give you some of my clothes to wear, but that's all I have. We'll just have to wait this storm out." Sora said as he went over to his drawers and looked for a T-shirt and some other pants she could possibly wear.

"I don't... need... anything... from you..." Kairi, still very cold, hugged herself tightly with the towel.

"Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you get pneumonia." Just as Sora said that, the power went out and it was pitch black. Kairi screamed and tripped over a chair. Sora found the lantern and lit it once again. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"F-Fine."

Sora threw some clothes at her. "You can change in the bathroom."

"I don't want to."

"Whatever."

Wind and rain pounded on the wooden home, making the entire inside rattle. Kairi just wanted to curl up in a ball. She was terrified.

"Don't like thunderstorms?" Sora asked in a more casual manner, appearing inches from her face with the lantern.

"Get away from me... you freak!" Kairi scooted back against the wall. Sora set the lantern on the floor and sat across from her, examining her dimly lit face. He could tell that she was scared to death and felt that maybe this would be the perfect opportunity for him to mess with her. She had been rude to him since they met.

Two could play at this game.

I-.-I

**A/N:** That's the end of this chappie! What did you think? Please continue to leave lovely **reviews**! I'll update faster! Promise!


	4. Who are You?

**A/N:** Thanks so much for all the reviews and support! Because of this, you get a new chapter! I'm really glad you all are enjoying this. As always, let me know what you think about this story!

I-.-I

**Chapter Four**

I-.-I

The storm became more severe. Kairi tried hiding her face away from the light of the lantern so that Sora couldn't see her, but he could clearly tell that she was frightened. In a way, Sora almost felt sorry for her. Thunder roared and caused Kairi to shriek and cover her head. Sora was unaffected—he was used to storms like these.

"You know, the roof could fly off at any moment," Sora said. He kind of wanted to get her back for being so rude to him, so he used this opportunity. "Or... the waves can flood this house and we'll be taken away, only to drown in the depths of the ocean. In the worst case scenario, the roof can collapse and we could die from the impact. Aren't you-"

"Stop it!" Kairi yelled, now trembling in even more fear. "I get it, you're mad at me! You don't have to make everything worse!"

"Kairi, none of those things are going to happen. I built this place specifically to withstand these sort of things." Sora chuckled. "Now we can sit here and argue, or for once, we can have a decent conversation."

"And talk about what? I have nothing to say to you!"

The house shook once again. Kairi hugged her knees tightly and hid her face. Sora picked up the lantern and started walking over to his bed.

"Hey, where are you going...?"

For the first time, she actually sounded concerned and—normal.

Sora picked up his acoustic guitar and brought it back over to her. He set the lantern in between them once more and positioned the guitar strap around his shoulder. After a few trials, he started playing. "This is the acoustic version of one of my favorite songs, Simple and Clean."

_'What is he doing?'_ Kairi asked herself, but she couldn't deny that he was pretty... good.

Sora began to sing softly as he played, but it wasn't loud enough for Kairi to hear clearly. At the same time, him playing was distracting her from the storm and she realized that she wasn't as tense anymore. Kairi closed her eyes.

She felt better.

_"Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all..."_ Sora sang, now audible. Kairi was amazed—he actually could sing. His voice was so calming and serene that she could feel her heart beating faster than usual as he went on.

_"Nothing's like before..."_ Sora played a few more cords and then it was over. Kairi didn't really know what to say. She knew that she should have been showing her gratitude, but...

"Seems like you're doing better." Sora cracked a smile and set his guitar aside.

"Why... did you just do that?" Kairi mustered.

"For the heck of it."

"Oh..."

"So... tell me..." Sora started, "since I'm apparently supposed to know, who _is_ Kairi Hikari?"

"What?"

"Who _are_ you? I don't want to hear some generated media response. I want you to describe yourself... in your own words. What are your hobbies? How old are you? What are your goals? Things like that."

"I'm just... me."

"That's pretty vague." Sora said. The wind calmed down a little, but it was still raining.

As if a switch went off, Kairi's mood immediately changed back to condescending and rude. "Oh yeah? Well, what about you, cave man? Why haven't you ever hugged a girl before?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Why?" Sora questioned.

"Why...? Because... it's weird. You're what... twenty-something and you've never even had a girlfriend?"

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"That's not the point."

No, she hasn't.

"By the way, I'm 24." Sora confirmed.

"When is your birthday?" Kairi asked right after.

"April. When is yours?"

"April what? Hmm... you seem more like a Taurus to me." Kairi was now looking him right in the face. "I take back the Libra comment."

"Are you talking about... horoscopes?"

"Yes, so which is it? What day in April?"

"Do you really believe that stuff?" Sora laughed a little, but Kairi was serious. "April 27th. What does that make me?"

"A Taurus, like I suspected."

"Then... what are you?"

"I'm a Scorpio."

Sora blinked a few times and waited for her to elaborate. "So... what does that mean? You let your sign define you?"

"No, but it sure says a lot."

"That stuff isn't real."

"Two seconds ago you didn't know what a Taurus was." Kairi shot back.

"And now that I know you're talking about silly horoscopes, I say it's not real."

"Whatever."

"Alright, so you're a Scorpio. What else can you tell me about yourself?" Sora asked.

"Nothing."

Kairi didn't want to open herself up to this person. She had no idea what his intentions were, so instead she asked him about himself.

"What do you want to know about me?"

"Same questions."

"Well, like I said, I'm 24. I graduated high school when I was sixteen and have been working at the bar ever since. Now... I only operated the cash register and cleaned up after everyone until it was legal for me to serve alcohol, but I'm saving up to go to Twilight University. I want to be a history teacher."

"Why? That's boring."

"So are horoscopes."

"Shut up."

Sora examined her for a while, but then gave up and started playing his guitar once again. This wasn't going anywhere. "It doesn't seem like the storm will be giving in anytime soon. You're welcome to sleep on my bed."

"What?!" Kairi yelled.

"While I sleep over here on the floor. I won't bite... unless you want me to." Sora joked, but Kairi thought he was being serious. Even though she was really tired, there was no way she could sleep during a storm.

"Pervert."

"I was just kidding."

I-.-I

Kairi ended up falling asleep on the floor. The storm had subsided and nothing could be heard but the waves brushing up against the shore. Sora set his guitar aside and stared at her for a bit. _'Should I wake her?'_ he asked himself. He knew she would be a lot more comfortable in his bed, but he didn't want to just carry her over there. She would freak out if she woke up.

So he left her there.

Sora brought his pillow over to her and carefully placed it underneath her head. He then put his blanket over her. He had no idea how she could sleep on the wooden floor, especially if she was used to luxury and soft beds. _'She must be really exhausted,'_ he told himself, then went and laid on his empty mattress. The moonlight shone through the window in his face. Sora looked over at her a few times.

She snored.

It was laughable to him. Right now, she just seemed like a normal human being.

He liked this a lot better.

I-.-I

Kairi's alarm on her phone went off around five the next morning, just after Sora was finally able to drift off to sleep. Noticing that her back hurt as soon as she got up, Kairi groaned and tried to figure out where she was.

_'Did I really sleep on the floor?'_

_'Oh yeah... I'm at that dude's house.'_

"You snore." Sora's voice made her jump. He was on the other side of the room, sitting on the edge of his bed. "I couldn't get to sleep because of it."

"That's not... my problem..." Kairi said, a little embarrassed. Her back started to hurt again. She tried rubbing it.

"I told you that you could sleep in my bed, but you wouldn't."

"Why would I? I don't know you."

"Not _with_ me. Geeze. Do you think every guy is on some sort of mission to sleep with you?" Sora put on some slippers.

"Of course I do. I'm the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Right." Sora rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I have to hurry up and get back to the hotel." Kairi gathered her things, but didn't bother to pick up and fold the blanket or even place the pillow back to its original spot. Sora watched in amazement, although he really didn't know what to expect, anyway. Kairi noticed him staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing." Sora shook his head and then came over and did it himself.

"Oh..." Kairi suddenly felt bad. "Well, I'm going now."

"Do you want me to walk with you?" Sora wasn't even sure why he was asking after that, but he brushed it off as his obligation to protect her... or something.

"Sora, if someone sees me walking with you this early in the morning, rumors will really spread that we slept together."

_'And my career would be over...'_

"Let me at least walk half way with you."

"...fine."

I-.-I

As the two walked along the shore, a comfortable silence lingered between them. The sun was rising in the distance. Kairi stopped to take it all in.

"This is the best part about living here." Sora said. Kairi didn't respond. Feeling recharged, she started walking again. Her sweats had dried overnight and she was in dire need of a shower. They could see the hotel just around the corner, so they stopped.

"Well... thank you." Kairi said to him. A bit surprised, Sora didn't know how to respond at first. "By the way..."

"Y-Yes?"

"Did you... save my number...?" Kairi stared at the ground, unable to make eye contact with him. She wasn't sure why she was asking.

"Did you want me to?"

She glanced up at him, but didn't say a word. A few moments of awkward silence passed. "Bye."

A bit thrown off, Sora waved to her. "...bye."

I-.-I

Kairi was able to get back to her room without incident. She took a long, hot shower and then got dressed for the scene. Kairi put on her own makeup and did her own hair. Every now and then, Sora would flash in her mind, but the images would only last for a few seconds at a time. After doing several acting exercises, she was ready to go. Namine was standing outside of her door, waiting.

"Good morning," she greeted. Kairi didn't say it back and just walked down the hall. Namine followed, but stopped when she saw Roxas coming out of his room.

"Good morning, my lovely ladies."

"I'm not yours." Kairi said simply, stepping into the elevator. Her co-stars came in behind her.

"Did you both sleep well?" Namine asked.

"I slept like a baby," Roxas responded, making Namine giggle. They both looked to Kairi.

"I don't know why you two keep trying to talk to me. Tch." Kairi said. The elevator arrived at the lobby. Marluxia was waiting for them. "By the way, no funny business today during our kissing scene, Roxas."

"I'm a professional, but a gentleman first." Roxas told her. They all loaded into the van. Namine and Kairi sat in the middle and Roxas got in the back seat. Kairi didn't bother putting on her seat belt.

"Kairi, that's dangerous." Namine said to her, "please fasten your seat belt."

"She's right, and we're not leaving until you do!" Marluxia called from the driver's seat.

"Fine!" Kairi did so. Roxas laughed.

"You're so amusing."

Twenty minutes later, they arrived on set. Police had the place blocked off just for them so there wouldn't be any disturbances. Terra was still setting up the scene, so they would have to wait. As she was walking over to her chair, she couldn't help but notice The Shack in the distance. Of course, it was closed, but it reminded her of the blue-eyed boy. Kairi sat down and waited for her scene. Namine and Roxas did the same; they both went over their lines. Kairi was pretty confident that she knew them all.

Namine was dreading this day-the day that Kairi and Roxas had to kiss on set.

"Something wrong?" Roxas nudged her arm and smiled at her.

"She just wishes she could be in my place today." Kairi said aloud, making Namine blush severely.

"N-No! I'm just nervous... I always get nervous before filming!" Namine tried coming up with more excuses.

"Aww, don't worry Nami. You'll get your turn."

"What?" Namine deadpanned.

"Scene sixteen, you and I have to kiss. Don't you read ahead?" Roxas ruffled her hair. "It will be weird for me too. You're like a sister to me."

_'A sister...'_

"Roxas, don't hurt the poor girl's feelings." Kairi intervened.

"What?"

He was clueless.

I-.-I

After a much needed nap, Sora went over to Riku and Xion's apartment. They were having lunch when he arrived.

"You always show up unexpectedly." Riku said, letting him inside.

"Yeah, well... if you didn't live with Xion I would just walk right in."

"Please, it's not like we're dating."

"I could never date Riku." Xion shuddered at the thought. "We're best friends and nothing more."

But Sora wasn't listening.

"Sora? Yoohoo?" Riku waved his hand in front of his face.

"Oh... what?"

"Alright, what happened?" Xion asked.

"H-Huh? Nothing! Nothing happened!"

"You're lying."

"Well..." Sora knew he couldn't hide this from them, "...Kairi spent the night last night."

"WHAT?!" Riku and Xion yelled in unison.

"You saw her again?!" Riku was in shock.

"What did you do?!" Xion pestered.

"Nothing! We didn't do anything! It was storming and she had nowhere else to go at the moment!"

"Uh huh... right." Riku examined him closely.

"What? Why are you so close to me?"

"You like her, don't you?"

"What? No way! She's nothing but a stuck up celebrity!" After last night, even Sora felt bad for that statement.

"Did you play your guitar?"

Okay, he couldn't argue with that one.

"...yes."

"Damn it, Sora!" Xion sighed. "You always fall too fast... and the sure fire way that we know you like someone is if you play your guitar for them! It's like your mating call-except you never go through with anything!"

"...That is... so not true!" Sora stammered.

"It is." Riku agreed. "The same thing happened with Selphie. You played a song for her, she swooned, but then you weren't man enough to ask her out. She got tired of waiting. I'm worried about you. Don't get too ahead of yourself."

His friends knew him too well.

I-.-I

Kairi and Roxas faced each other. The cameras were rolling, the atmosphere was set. Tears rolled down Kairi's cheeks as Roxas stepped closer to her.

"It's okay... you don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm here..."

"But... what if he comes after me?"

"I'll kill him." Roxas said, then grabbed her and kissed her. Kairi shut her eyes and played the part. She knew he had been waiting for this for a long time, but it meant absolutely nothing to her. It was just acting. They parted, staring into each others eyes desperately.

"CUT!" Terra said, clapping. "That was beautiful! Let's do it again!"

Kairi sighed and got back into position.

"What a great day." Roxas said, grinning at her.

Namine stood on the sidelines.

I-.-I

That night, the bar was empty. Sora was bored out of his mind. He could tell that they were filming nearby earlier, but he was glad that they kept it under control this time. Part of him expected to see Kairi walk in demanding a drink, but so far it wasn't happening. He flipped open his phone and went to his call history.

_'I wonder why she asked that.'_ he said, staring at the number. He didn't really mean to, but he already had it memorized. _'What if Riku and Xion are right? What if I really do have a crush?'_ he pondered. _'I know I fall too fast... I really should stop that... but... she's a celebrity. She'll forget about me as soon as she's done filming.'_

"Why am I thinking about this? Ugh!" Sora set his phone down on the counter, but kept his eyes on it. After a few moments, he picked it up again and went back to the call history. His finger brushed over the call button. "Should I...?"

It almost seemed like she wanted him to call.

His nerves raced as he pressed the button and it started ringing. Sora slowly put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded on the other line. It didn't sound mean.

He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't say anything. Sora hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

"...crap..."

I-.-I

**A/N:** Well this should be fun! Poor Sora, he's so innocent! Hmm, now's the time to guess how many chapters this story will have... I will say about 15 to 20. Not sure. Your **reviews** will keep it going! Peace!

**Zexion:** Why doesn't anyone love me?  
**Me:** I'm not sure. Maybe you're just too emo for them. This story isn't going to be that emo.  
**Zexion:** Why aren't I IN this story?  
**Me:** Because there's no room for you! Damn!  
**Zexion:** So mean to me...


	5. Party

**Chapter Five**

I-.-I

Kairi, Namine and Roxas prepared for an exclusive party on a nearby island where only celebrities and big names were allowed. They all would get together and tell stories and just have a good time. Kairi didn't particularly like these types of events, because many people liked to brag and make themselves seem better than they actually were. Kairi was blunt and honest about her success and may have been a bit arrogant sometimes, but she knew what her limits were. Roxas was especially guilty of this sort of behavior; he always made huge promises and talked about projects that didn't exist.

Namine, of course was more modest and usually didn't talk much at these events. She went there just to be there since according to Terra, it was good for their career to make connections and network. Even the way she dressed was conservative; Namine never showed too much skin. She was wearing a beautiful, green dress that went down to her knees and she had put her hair up in a half-do with matching, silver accessories. Her makeup and skin were flawless and sometimes Kairi felt like Namine was actually prettier than she was. Namine was perfect and always got the male's attention—in a good way. Kairi was a little envious of that.

But she would never admit such a thing to anyone. Kairi had pride, if nothing else.

Following Namine's example, even if just a little bit, Kairi covered up a little more than usual. The heart neckline on her pink, fitted dress didn't show too much, at least to her standards. The dress wasn't skimpy or too short; it was just an inch above her knees. She wore some white heels, and a pearl necklace. Kairi curled her elbow-length auburn hair and tied it up in a ponytail. She did a purple smoky eye and put on her fake lashes. She pinned her side-swept bangs to the side with a cute bow accessory.

It wasn't too much to her. In fact, it seemed like less.

_'I wonder what cave man would say if he saw me.'_

"Wait, what am I thinking?" Kairi shook the thoughts away. After putting on a dab of perfume, Kairi was ready to go. No matter where she went, she always had to look her best, excluding the night before when she went for a walk. Kairi felt like she had to look strong and confident to be that way, even if it was just an act.

She was fabulous.

"Alright," Kairi took a deep breath, "I can do this..."

As usual, Namine was waiting outside for her. However, this time Kairi actually acknowledged her.

"You look nice." she said, shocking the petite blonde.

"S-So do you!" Namine said back, astonished.

Kairi wasn't sure where the confidence came from. Roxas' jaw dropped when he saw them coming towards the elevator where he was waiting.

"Whoa! You two look absolutely beautiful!"

"Thanks..." Namine said sheepishly.

"Of course we do." Kairi's tone was a bit more casual today. _'What is going on with me?'_

I-.-I

The trio arrived at the party. Terra was already there talking and laughing with some other top directors. There were round tables set up all over the room with elaborate flower designs on them. A girl group called Heart2Soul was singing a slow song on stage. Kairi actually didn't mind this group; one of her friends from college was the lead singer—Yuna. The other two members were backup vocals named Rikku and Aqua. Kairi didn't know them too well; she hadn't talked to Yuna since they left college. The band was formed afterward.

Kairi and Namine sat down at one of the roundtables. A server came and poured them some wine and took their orders. Heart2Soul finished their song and bowed, then moved off stage to make room for another group. Yuna spotted Kairi and ran over to hug her.

"Oh my gosh! It's been such a long time!" Yuna exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Kairi in excitement.

"How are you?"

Yuna immediately showed her the diamond ring on her left hand. Kairi gasped.

"Who?!"

"His name is Tidus. He's such a sweetheart! He and his friend Wakka are about to play." Yuna said and pointed to the stage. "How about you? Found anyone yet?"

Roxas appeared and said, "well, I'm here but she's just being stubborn." he put his hands on her shoulders and lightly massaged them. Kairi smacked his hands. Namine tried to keep her composure.

"Still going solo. Nobody is worth my time, it seems." Kairi said.

"Speaking of going solo," Yuna started, "I've been thinking about it—being a solo singer."

"You pretty much already are." Aqua said. Kairi sensed some tension between them. Rikku didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Well if it isn't Aqua Williams!" Terra came over to them, "You're looking beautiful as ever."

Aqua blushed a little, "Thank you, director..."

"My offer still stands." Terra said.

"Offer?" Kairi questioned.

"If you screw up, she'll be your replacement."

"You already found-" Kairi was shut up by Namine, who nudged her.

"It just doesn't seem like I would fit in with the storyline." Aqua admitted. "Thank you, though!"

Terra and Aqua walked off together, leaving Kairi stunned. She couldn't believe that he had already found someone to replace her if she messed up again; now the pressure was even more daunting and uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, Kairi... if you need my help, I'm here." Roxas said.

"That must be hard to take in." Yuna gave her a sympathetic look. Kairi crossed her arms and watched them interact in disgust. "But don't worry," Yuna leaned in closer and whispered, "she's not the best actress."

Somehow that made Kairi feel a little better, despite watching how well Aqua and Terra got along. "Are they dating or something?"

"It seems like it, doesn't it?" Namine chuckled. "But don't worry, Kairi. Terra may threaten you but he knows you help the ratings tremendously. Not as many people know about Aqua."

"I guess." Kairi was getting more upset than she should have.

"Oh my goodness, it's Aerith!" Yuna said, standing up right away out of respect. Namine and Kairi did the same and bowed as she walked by. Her grace was undeniable. Kairi couldn't believe she was within the same vicinity as her idol. She didn't really know how to act at the moment. Aerith took a seat at the next table over, only adding to Kairi's nervousness. They all sat down. The room was silent as a waiter poured some wine for Aerith. She looked around in confusion.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" even her voice was like that of an angel.

"Kairi, are you alright?" Namine whispered. Kairi was tapping her foot rapidly. Now she _really_ had to be on her best behavior. Being in the same room as Aerith was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

But Terra talked to her so casually it was almost offensive.

He did make her famous, after all.

It was another reason that Kairi didn't want to get on Terra's bad side. Terra had the power to turn anyone into an instant celebrity—and a top one at that.

Everyone was mesmerized by Aerith's existence. Yuna's fiance got on stage and started playing some alternative music in the background. Their food came and Kairi, Namine, Roxas, Yuna and Rikku all sat and chatted as they ate, but there were long pauses in between.

"Kairi, why don't you go and talk to her?" Namine suggested.

"What? You don't just go and talk to Aerith Gainsborough." Kairi said. "She is on a whole other level." Much to her amazement, Roxas was already over at Aerith's table, having a conversation. "When did he go over there?!"

"Just now. See? She's really nice." Namine said.

"Yeah, Kairi. It shouldn't be a problem." Yuna added. They watched as Aerith suddenly stood up and was now walking over to their table with Roxas. Kairi nearly choked on her food as the actress got closer.

"What is he doing?!"

"Miss Aerith, we have your number one fan right here." Roxas pointed to Kairi, who now was ready to kill him for doing this, but at the same time she could barely contain her excitement. Kairi stood up straight in front of the flawless woman and nervously mustered a "hello."

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm flattered to have such a great actress looking up to me." Aerith said gracefully, holding out her hand. "Walk with me?"

"W-What?" Kairi froze, "Really?"

Aerith nodded. Namine and Yuna gave her ecstatic grins. Kairi glanced at Roxas as she followed her idol outside.

_'Okay, he gets cool points for this.'_

I-.-I

Sora and Riku were working together at the bar that night since it was Friday. They had a few customers, but overall it was pretty quiet. Sora didn't try calling Kairi again; he was way too chicken to do so.

_'If it's meant to be, I'll see her again.'_

"What are you thinking about now?" Riku asked, seeing the dazed expression on his best friend's face.

"N-Nothing."

"Anyway, Leon has been wanting to spice this place up a bit. He wants more decorations, better music and—are you listening?"

"Uh huh..." Sora stared at his phone. The door opened and a huge group of girls that didn't look older than eighteen walked in. Riku went over and asked to see their ID's.

"We don't have any." said the first girl; she had brown hair that was braided in pigtails. "We're here because Kairi Hikari came here. We are her biggest fans!" the other girls nodded in agreement. The girl spotted Sora over at the bar and gasped. "Is that the guy that kissed her?! He's so cute!" Sora blushed a little. He should have seen this coming.

"Eh... you can't come in here!" Riku tried blocking the girls from stepping any further. "I need to see some ID's!"

"I am Olette Meriwhether and you have no right to tell me or my posse what to do!"

"How old are you? Like 15?" Riku said back, still holding his arms out. One of the customers came over to help him out. His name was Seifer and he didn't exactly have the best reputation.

"Listen here, little girl... I don't think you want to come any further." Seifer nudged Olette's cheek. "Why don't you take your little posse and go somewhere else? This place isn't for kids."

The girls got scared and ran out. Riku sighed and thanked Seifer.

"No problem. They need better hobbies, anyway. But since that incident happened, it's only going to get worse." Seifer went back over to the bar.

Some girls were gossiping about Kairi, and Sora couldn't help but listen.

"I heard that her director was looking at replacing her, even though they're halfway done with the filming."

"Oh, really? She _should_ be replaced."

"I wish Aerith would do more dramas."

Sora listened closer.

"You know, there's a rumor going around that she left her husband Zack for another man."

"What? Aerith? No way. She wouldn't do that."

"But there are pictures of her with the dude," the girl paused and turned to Sora, "do you get wifi?"

Her asking that reminded Sora of when Kairi asked a few days ago, but he was more stuck on the fact that they were talking about Aerith. He wasn't allowed to argue with them, either.

"No, we don't have wifi."

I-.-I

Kairi followed Aerith outside; she was jittery and had no idea what to say. Aerith found a secluded spot and sipped on her wine under the moonlight. Being with her up close was simply amazing. She was the definition of perfection.

"So you're working for Terra, I see?" Aerith asked. Kairi nodded. "Terra... what a man. He's great at what he does."

"Y-Yes, he is."

"Kairi, I've heard a lot about you and frankly, I'm worried."

Kairi's heart dropped. "I'm sorry?"

"I don't know, it just feels like you're lost. You put up a wall but deep down, I think you are probably a really sweet girl."

"...thank you, m'am."

"I will support you, but please, clean up your act." Aerith said bluntly, surprising Kairi.

"I-I will..." Kairi felt a bit offended, but didn't say anything. Aerith smiled warmly at her.

"Well, then... hope you enjoy your night." and with that, the top actress walked back inside, leaving Kairi alone. She had no idea how to take the words from her favorite actress. Her words were caring but harsh at the same time, since she respected her so much.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Maybe she was more sensitive than she thought.

I-.-I

After work was over, Sora asked Riku if he could use his smart phone to look up news. Shocked, Riku gave it to him. "What's the matter?"

"There's some more rumors."

"About Kairi?"

"No."

"...oh."

There it was—plain as day. A picture of Aerith with another man, laughing. But to Sora, it just looked like two friends having lunch. He wasn't one to believe the rumors. There were so many headlines about this it made him sick. One downside to working at the bar was the gossip he overheard.

"Why don't you call her and ask yourself?" Riku asked.

"No way!"

"Sora, if you don't you'll just complain about it for days."

"But I haven't spoken to her in years... and it's not like she tries to contact me either."

"That's because you won't let her have your number."

Sora sighed. "I don't know..."

"I think you should, but remember, I'm sharing minutes with Xion and she usually hogs them up. I don't know how many I have."

"Okay... I won't be long." Sora faked a smile and went out to the shore for some privacy.

I-.-I

**A/N:** So... Sora has earned the nickname, "cave man" in this story, thanks to Kairi. Hah! Please leave a **review**! Thanks so much!

BY THE WAY! Go read "Not a Bad Thing" by SorasGirl333! (Writer of "Dear Diary") She was my first friend on here and she's finally writing again! (Welcome back to the dark side, muahaha!) It's a Kingdom Hearts story, SoKai. It's in my favorites. Go, go! and make sure you leave lovely reviews for her! Peace!


	6. Scandalous!

**A/N:** You guys are so awesome that I'm updating again! It also helps that I pretty much came up with the entire plot in 24 hours... hence the super fast updates. **Reviews** play a huge part in that too!

By the way, this is the most cliché story I've ever written. Hah! But it's so much fun, though...

I-.-I

**Chapter Six**

I-.-I

Roxas found Kairi sitting outside, staring up at the moon. She didn't hear him walk up to her at first; she was completely lost in thought. Her role model basically just told her that she was not good enough (in her mind) and she was really hurt by it. Roxas stood next to her. Kairi sniffled and looked away; she had teared up some.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked, placing his hand gently on her back.

"Nothing." her tone was low. "Thanks... for doing that."

"You're welcome, but why are you so upset? Did she say something to you?"

"Just that... I should clean my act up." Kairi was surprised that she was even telling him this. This entire day had been strange for her and she wasn't sure why. "Almost like... she pitied me. You know, I hate that the most... but yet I still look up to her."

"Well, she's not wrong... but Kairi," Roxas paused and gave her a sympathetic look, "I know that you're not like that. _This_ is you." before she could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her. "I know it, because I've seen it. You put up a front because you don't want others to know that you're hurting."

Kairi pulled away from him. "Get off of me." She tried her hardest to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Sometimes, it's okay to cry." Roxas reassured her with a soft smile. "You don't always have to be strong."

"Yes I do. What do you know?!" Her voice was rising and she was getting agitated. Remembering where she was, Kairi took a few deep breaths and shut her eyes. Roxas just watched her; it was like he was numb to her yelling and Kairi didn't quite understand how he did that, but it bothered her. He must have been feeling closer to her because of this and that was scary. Kairi decided it was time for her to go. She called Marluxia and asked him to come and get her. She couldn't be around others like this.

Inside, Namine was feeling uneasy and awkward at the table with Yuna and Rikku. They were talking about something Rikku did the other day and Namine wasn't really included in the conversation. Aerith had sat back down, but Kairi was nowhere in sight—neither was Roxas. She was afraid of what she would see if she went to look for them, knowing that chances were that they were together.

"Namine," Terra interrupted her thoughts; he seemed a bit tipsy and his arm was around Aqua.

"Yes sir?" Namine stood up.

"Keep Kairi in line. I'm giving... you the responsibility."

"Yes, I will, sir!" Namine bowed to him and he walked off with Aqua. _'Ugh, where is she?'_ Namine convinced herself to go and find them. She excused herself, grabbed her purse and walked outside. It was empty. "Where did they go?"

I-.-I

Sora lay in the sand staring at Riku's phone. He swiped the touchscreen to unlock it and started dialing the number. As he pressed each button, his nerves escalated, making him a little shaky. He knew the rumors weren't true—they couldn't have been. He hesitated before pressing call.

_'Why am I doing this? I don't want to talk to her...'_

Instead, he erased the number and dialed a new one. He was a little more comfortable calling this one.

"Hello?" a man's voice followed by some static said. "Hello?"

"...hi."

"Who is this?"

_'Of course. This was a terrible idea.'_

"It's me."

"Sora?"

"Yeah. Hi, dad." he had a weird feeling in chest. The static disappeared and the reception was a bit clearer.

"Son, how have you been? Sorry I haven't called."

Zack Fair, Sora's father lived in Traverse Town. His parents were never officially married, so Sora's mother's last name was on the birth certificate. Sora hadn't seen or heard from his father in years. Calling him like this out of the blue was very unnerving.

"Are you there? What's going on with you? Still working at the bar?"

"Yeah. Dad, are you and mom separated or something?"

It got quiet for a moment. "Did you finally get the internet? Give me your e-mail."

"_Dad_," Sora nagged, "you're avoiding the question."

"We didn't want to tell you yet. But if it helps, it's not like we're on bad terms."

Sora's heart dropped. "...what happened?"

It suddenly became static again and Sora couldn't hear his father much anymore. Then, the call dropped. Sora didn't bother to call back. The fact that his parents weren't seeing each other anymore was enough for him to hear, even if he wasn't close to them.

"What's up?" Riku appeared behind him, holding a bag with a bottle of soju in it and some snacks. He had borrowed some shot glasses from the bar. He sat down in the sand and traded the alcohol for his phone. Sora didn't hesitate to take a few shots.

"My dad just told me that he and my mom are separated." Sora told him.

"Oh... yeah." Riku stared out at the ocean, "there have been rumors. I didn't tell you because I knew you didn't like hearing about that stuff. So you didn't call your mom?"

"Why would I?"

"Right."

"She abandoned me... all for her stupid career."

"Is she still sending you money?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, but every time it appears in my bank account, I take it out and donate it to charity. I don't want her money." Sora took another shot.

Sora didn't drink much, but when he heard things like this, or any time he actually talked to his parents, he was compelled to do so.

"Her career came first. It's that simple." Sora was getting buzzed. "And my dad enjoyed the benefits of having a celebrity wife."

"Sora, maybe you should go home and sleep this off." Riku suggested and hid the soju bottle behind him.

"Now they're separating and my mom has found a new man. Nice!" Sora said sarcastically. "I should have seen this coming. This is why celebrities are stupid. They break up, hook up, date, get married and have kids all in in a span of 48 hours... well, they don't have the kids until nine months later, but you know what I mean. I wonder when this happened? I wonder when my mother, Aerith Gainsborough, the most perfect and beautiful actress in the world got with another man? Was it behind my dad's back?"

Riku noticed that Sora was ranting. He just sighed and listened to his friend vent. He knew that Sora needed to do this; he was always so calm and passive about everything. It was such a sensitive subject and the main reason why Sora refused to get any form of technology with the internet. His mother was in the news daily, just like Kairi, but for better reasons. However, Sora didn't want to read about it. He didn't want to see it. He wanted to shut it out.

"Are you guys closed?" they heard a voice behind them. Riku turned but Sora continued to talk. It was Kairi—with Roxas. Nervous as hell, Riku didn't know what to say at first.

"Oh, uh... yeah. It's one in the morning." Riku stood up and paused. "But if you want some soju, I'll share. This kid," Riku glanced at Sora, "doesn't need anymore alcohol."

"Huh? Sora?" Kairi went around and stood in front of him.

"Oh, look... it's the pretty actress that came to my house in the middle of the night and slept on my floor, but I didn't do anything to her because I'm a good guy that respects women!" Sora laughed.

"He's drunk." Riku stated the obvious. Kairi was a bit shocked.

"Wait, you did what?!" Roxas blinked a few times, "did you really sleep at his house?! When?!"

"The other day... but it wasn't by choice." Kairi answered.

"So he forced you?! Why, you little-" Roxas was stopped by Riku.

"No, idiot. I took a walk and then it started storming. Sora just so happened to live in the area." Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Yeah... what a _coincidence_. By the way, Kairi... you really should be getting back to the hotel." Roxas' jealous senses were tingling, "Terra would be pissed if he found out you were here. I still can't believe that you called Marluxia and then just ditched him before he even got there."

"Oh, she's going to do that." Sora got to his feet, but nearly lost his balance. "That's what celebrities do. They don't have any consideration for others, but they'll make them do everything for them on a whim... and take complete advantage of people that bend over backwards for them." Sora eyed Kairi's outfit—the pink dress and curly hair, "I like more natural girls—ones that don't wear too much makeup and aren't a peep show. Modest. Simple. Respectful."

_'Idiot... so this is what he really thinks of me...'_ Kairi could feel her blood boiling.

"Good for you. Kairi, let's go." Roxas went over to get her, but Kairi backed away. Riku was too much in shock to do anything.

"Oh yeah? So you singing and playing your guitar for me meant nothing? If I'm not mistaken, guys only do that when they're trying to impress a girl," Kairi stated, making Roxas cough awkwardly. (He was a musician as well). "You think you're _so_ perfect, don't you? Oh, you're not swayed by the media, you've never had a girlfriend, you're nice to everyone..." Kairi paused, "and you look good too?! Wow, you must be so AMAZING!"

Sora tried to take in everything she was saying, but his intoxicated state could only hear bits and pieces of what she was saying. "Y-You think I look good?"

"No she doesn't, she was being sarcastic," Roxas grabbed Kairi's hand, "let's go before you get in even more trouble." Kairi broke away from his grip.

"I'm not done with this idiot."

"Hey!" Sora heard that.

"Alright, buddy... let's get you home..." Riku went to restrain Sora, who was now glaring at the actress.

"I'm not done with YOU either!" Sora yelled. "You think you can just parade in here and make me fall for you? Well, it's not going to happen that way, princess! I hate celebrities!"

"Is that how you feel? Fine!" Kairi didn't know why she was getting so worked up about this. She barely even knew him.

"You're a spoiled brat, you know that?!" Sora continued. Riku finally was able to restrain his friend; he still couldn't believe Sora was saying this to such a well known actress, but at the same time, he knew that Sora had every right to.

"Was that you that called last night? It must have been!" Kairi argued back as Roxas tried to get her to stop. "Don't ever try to call me again! Give me your stupid pre-paid phone!" Kairi then started reaching for his pockets, making everything look extremely wrong. Riku, unsure of what to do in her presence, backed away while the drunk Sora tried to dodge Kairi's touch. Roxas was stunned. Suddenly, Sora lost his balance and fell over—Kairi fell right on top of him.

She was several inches from his face; the two blinked at each other. Kairi felt his heart beating rapidly against hers. She was speechless and couldn't quite comprehend her feelings at the moment. Sora was even worse; his head was pounding and he couldn't process what was going on or why Kairi was on top of him.

"PICTURE!"

Kairi and Sora both looked to their left. A fan was there and took several pictures of the actress on top of Sora. Roxas went over to the fan and tried to grab the phone. Kairi immediately got off off Sora, who was still confused. Her mind was telling her to chase after the fan and delete those pictures, but her body wasn't moving. Sora sat up and clutched his forehead with his hand in pain.

"What are you doing?!" Kairi shrieked at Riku, startling him. "You look like you're good at running, go and stop that person! Roxas has no athletic abilities whatsoever!"

"R-Right!" Riku went after the fan, leaving Kairi and Sora by themselves.

"Yuck, your hair is in my mouth."

"Must be another first." Kairi said.

"What... does that mean? Never mind... I don't care."

Suddenly, Kairi smacked his shoulder so hard that it caused him to fall back down. She got up and brushed the sand off, as if she was trying to regain some sort of dignity. "If I lose my career because of this, will you take responsibility?"

"Huh? But you..." Sora was starting to sober up, but it still hurt. "Whatever."

"Delete my number."

"Even if I did, I've memorized it already."

"What?! You're crazy!"

"I didn't do it on purpose! I just have a really good memory! I know Riku's number, my uncle's, the girl's number that I liked four years ago... I even remember what I did on my birthday when I was seven!"

"Is that supposed to be impressive? Because you're kind of creeping me out."

"Just change your number and don't tell me. It's simple."

Kairi didn't say anything for a minute. Roxas and Riku had disappeared from sight; they must have been really determined to find that fan. Kairi felt appreciative towards them for trying, even if shit did hit the fan. She looked down at Sora, who was rubbing his forehead. "I'll keep it."

"That's such a loaded response. Do you want me to call you or not?" Sora asked, throwing her off.

"W-What?!" Kairi blushed.

"We can be friends, I guess." even Sora wasn't sure what he was saying. All he knew was his head hurt and he was craving some chicken. "As a celebrity, you're terrible. But as a normal person, you're not that bad."

"Even you think this..." Kairi mumbled to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Riku and Roxas returned—with the fan's phone. "We got it," Roxas said between breaths, "but..."

"But? But what?!" Kairi looked them right in the eyes.

"This... person must be skilled... because they were... able to post it... while they were running... although we deleted the original post and pictures, people have already saved them and uploaded them..." Roxas said in defeat. "I'm so sorry, Kairi... I really tried... we both did..."

This hit her like a brick wall. By tomorrow, the entire world will see this... and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was screwed.

I-.-I

Namine was getting ready to go home. She never found Kairi or Roxas, but thanks to the power of technology, she didn't have to look far.

Yuna was going through her Twitter feed. "Oh my gosh, is that Kairi?"

Namine looked up, "...what?"

"NAMINE! WHERE IS YOUR STUPID CO-STAR?!" Terra's yell echoed throughout the place, rattling the glasses and startling everyone. Namine straightened up and faced her boss.

"I... I don't know, sir! I've been looking for her for the past hour!"

Terra shoved his phone in her face. The picture of Kairi on top of Sora shocked her.

"Oh... no..." Namine had no idea what to say.

I-.-I

**A/N:** That's a wrap on this chapter! I feel like Marluxia should come out of nowhere and yell "SCANDALOUS" very obnoxiously and then disappear. ANYWAY, if you enjoyed this chapter, TELL ME! What will happen now? Will Kairi lose her career? Will Sora ever get his chicken? Will Nomura change his mind about no KH3 at E3?! So many questions, so little answers! **REVIEW** please! :D


	7. A Favor

**A/N:** This story is proof that I've watched too many K-dramas in my life. Now bear with me, I love Aqua, but for the purposes of fanfiction... oh, you'll see! Things are going to really start picking up from here!

By the way, do you like the cover photo? Made it myself! :D I'm not the best artist in the world. SORA WHY IS YOUR HAIR SO COMPLICATED?! Seriously... drawing Sora's hair is a nightmare. Tch.

On with the chapter!

I-.-I

**Chapter Seven**

I-.-I

Marluxia finally found Kairi sitting with Sora on the beach. Sora was more conscious now; Riku had since brought him some water. Roxas and Kairi were trying to figure out what to do about the pictures. Riku offered his own ideas.

"Just explain to everyone what happened. Tell the truth."

"KAIRI!" Marluxia stomped over to them, making a trail in the sand.

"Whoa, how did you find me?" Kairi asked.

"Are you an idiot? You think I would give you a new phone without putting a tracker on it?! Seriously..." Marluxia was furious, "and now these things happen... and you're STILL out here?!" he glanced over at Roxas. "And YOU, you of all people should know better! Why are you two still here?!" he was talking so fast that Kairi wanted to block him out.

"It's already online. What else can we do?" Kairi sighed.

"Yes, but yet you're STILL out here with him! With the... the bartender?!" Marluxia was super paranoid now. "I'm going to lose my job! You're going to lose your job! I wouldn't be surprised if-" his phone started to ring—just as expected, it was Terra. "Hello, yes sir, I found her... yes... right away... we will be right there..."

"Sounds like you're in deep shit." Sora said, "You do know that this is still your fault, right?"

"Shut up! Ugh!" Kairi put on the flip flops she borrowed from Roxas and followed him and Marluxia back to the car. Sora and Riku sat and watched.

"That was... interesting..." Riku was still trying to process it all. He took out his phone. There were three missed calls from Xion. "Ah... she's going to be mad at me... how do I explain this to her?"

"Do you really have to? It will be all over the internet." Sora stretched. "Great. Just great. I don't want the attention. The underage girls coming into the bar was bad enough..."

"Maybe you should reconsider your feelings for her."

"I don't like her!"

"You keep telling yourself that." Riku sighed. "Want to spend the night? I'm too lazy to take you home now."

"Alright."

I-.-I

Marluxia lectured Kairi the entire way back to the hotel. Kairi pulled out her phone and looked at the various articles popping up. _'Argh, why couldn't I control myself?'_ Roxas tried putting his hand on hers, but like always, she didn't let him. At least her dress wasn't too short...

They arrived at the hotel and went in through the side door. Marluxia looked around first and made sure there wasn't anyone nearby before going over to the elevators. "Ahh... I just can't believe you, Kairi. I can't believe you screwed up again..."

"I can." Aqua appeared behind them, making the pink-haired man jump. "You know," she crossed her arms and walked forward, "at first I didn't even consider taking your role. But now that Terra is nearly ripping his hair out over you, I actually find it quite amusing—and a nice opportunity. Thanks for opening up that door."

"Who do you think you are?" Kairi stepped up to her. "You don't even know me."

"Oh, but I do. I've heard so much about you... and that's not a good thing." She smiled as the elevator doors opened. "Going up to see him? I'll come too."

"What is your problem?" Roxas stood in front of her. "He's not going to fire Kairi and if he does, I'm done too."

"Oh yeah?" Aqua stepped into the elevator. "We'll see about that."

"I'm taking the stairs." Kairi headed for the door; Roxas and Marluxia had no choice but to follow her. She had no idea why this woman was messing with her. _'What is her objective? Does she take pleasure in seeing me fail?'_ Kairi thought as she went up each floor.

"Ahh! Who the hell is she, anyway?!" Marluxia ranted as they went up the stairs.

They reached the 5th floor. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning, but yet they were going to see their hungover boss. Kairi, Marluxia and Roxas stopped at his door. Aqua must have already been inside. Marluxia knocked for them. "Sir, we're here."

Aqua opened the door and let them inside. She and Kairi exchanged glares as she walked in. Terra was wearing a golden robe and looked crankier than ever. He had already printed out the pictures and articles a hundred times and they were stacked neatly on the coffee table.

"You must _really_ want to get fired."

"If you're going to do it, go ahead." Kairi said, shocking Roxas and Marluxia.

"Oh, is that how it is?" Terra straightened up. "Why is it so hard to work with you? How did you ever get hired before? You know, I only let you do this show because Roxas _and_ Namine recommended you. I really regret my decision now."

"So get rid of me."

"Kairi! Stop it!" Marluxia pleaded.

"He doesn't even know what happened and he's going to assume that I did this on purpose?! He's going to assume that I put myself in these situations because I _like_ getting a rise out of people?! I'm not having it!" Kairi couldn't hold in her anger any longer.

"I don't care what happened! What people see and what people want to believe is _what happened_! There is no way to get around it, no matter how many times you try to tell the truth!" Terra yelled. "And to them, you look like a whore!"

Okay, that hurt.

"Director... that's pretty harsh..." Roxas spoke.

"My ratings have gone down since I've hired you. I knew it was a terrible idea from the start."

Tears formed in her eyes.

"Sir, please reconsider! She won't do it again!" Marluxia pleaded.

"You, shut up! I told ALL of you to keep her in line. But this has gone too far. First she gets drunk and kisses a guy, then she's seen on TOP of I'm guessing that same guy?! If you're dating, just come out with it! I really don't care! But all this sneaking around and being promiscuous is NOT welcome in my agency!"

"Get to the fucking point." Kairi could barely hold back her tears now. She knew this could have been handled differently, but she was tired of being called names. She was tired of the stress. She was tired of being looked down upon, even if she knew deep down that it was mostly her fault in the first place.

"I'll get to the _fucking point_." Terra started, "You're out. Gone. Bye. I will get them to re-do the script and we will scrap all of your scenes. Start over. I do not mind doing this." He picked up the stack of papers, "see these? No longer will I be stressed because of you," he then threw them up in the air. The papers flew everywhere. "I want you out of that room by morning."

"Sir... please..." Roxas started, but was interrupted by Aqua.

"It's all for the best." she saw the pain on Kairi's face.

"Ah yes, Kairi... I wasn't kidding. Aqua will be your replacement. We will change the script to fit her needs." Terra said. "Get out."

Kairi didn't hesitate to leave. She was on the verge of a breakdown and had to hurry up and get back to her room—fast. Roxas chased after her.

"Kairi, wait! Let's go apologize to him!"

"Never. Leave me alone."

"Kairi..." Roxas stopped as Kairi slammed her door right in his face. Namine, unable to sleep since she got back, heard what was happening, but stayed in her room. Roxas returned to his own. Namine pulled out her phone and texted Roxas.

_"Want to talk?"_

She patiently waited for a response. She wanted an excuse to see him.

_"Sorry Nami, I'm tired. Why are you awake, though?"_

_"I couldn't sleep. I'm worried about Kairi too,"_ Namine hesitated before sending it. Sure, she was worried about her, but not as much as she wanted to talk to Roxas and comfort him.

_"Alright, I'll be in my room. Go ahead and come down."_

Namine squealed in excitement. She went over to her mirror and checked her makeup. _'Am I glad that Kairi was fired...?'_ she thought to herself. _'I... guess I am...'_

She knew that going to Roxas' room this late looked bad on her part, but at least she wasn't stupid enough to get caught. _'Sometimes, Kairi doesn't have any sense.'_ Namine's jealousy was coming out. She was so confused as to what Roxas was attracted to. It was time to take him for herself.

This was her chance.

I-.-I

Kairi started packing all of her stuff. She couldn't take this anymore. She screamed as she threw all of her things into her suitcase, not even bothering to fold it. Half of her dresses were owned by the company, including the one she was wearing. She took it off, ripping it in the process and threw it on the floor. Her makeup was messed up; she was a wreck. This was the last straw.

It was times like these when she wished that she had someone to talk to.

Putting on a T-shirt, Kairi fell onto her bed and cried. She had no idea what she was going to do now. She had nowhere to go but back to Radiant Garden—where her brother Axel was working part time at a grocery store. She didn't really have any savings either.

_'No... I can't go back to that... I can't...'_

Kairi sobbed some more. She was losing everything and she didn't know how to handle it. This business wasn't for the weak, but she was the weakest of all. _'What will I do without my money and fame? Why can't I ever get anything right?!'_

_'And didn't Roxas say he would quit if I was fired? Tch... he's all talk...'_

All of a sudden, her phone rang. She picked it up and answered without even looking at who it was. "Yes, this Kairi Hikari, the dumb bitch that screwed up her life-"

"Excuse me?" a woman's soft voice was on the other end. Sniffling, Kairi straightened up a little and looked at the number. She didn't recognize it, but the voice sounded familiar.

"W-Who is this...?"

"We spoke earlier. It's Aerith."

Kairi nearly dropped the phone. "Oh... well, if you're going to scold me too, then-"

"I won't. Kairi, what are you doing tomorrow—well, today around noon?"

"I... don't know..."

"Can you meet me at the Sunset Cafe on the main island?"

"I-I'm sorry... what for?" Kairi was still a little upset about what she said to her and right now she couldn't take anymore criticism.

"Just meet me, okay? I'll be waiting." Aerith hung up. Kairi was so confused. For a moment, she had almost forgotten that she was fired. Kairi sat up on her bed and stared at her phone. After a few moments, she set it down and everything came back to her. Terra wanted her out.

"Fuck my life..."

I-.-I

Sora slept on Riku's couch—or tried to. Xion had already gone to bed by the time they got back, so the apartment was pretty quiet.

(_Flashback_)

"Mama's home!" an eight year old Sora ran up to the front door of his Uncle Leon's house and opened it. Out stepped his mother, Aerith Gainsborough along with his father, Zack Fair. He rushed over to them and jumped into his mother's arms. Leon and his wife, Rinoa stood at the door, but their expressions were not that great.

"Thanks for taking care of him," Aerith said to them, "I won't be here long, so-"

"Aww, mommy, you're leaving again?"

"This business is very demanding, sweetie. I don't have a choice."

"So daddy will stay, then?" Sora looked up at his father.

"No, son. I'm going to a business meeting tonight in Traverse Town."

"Why can't you ever stay with me?!" Sora yelled.

"Sora, we just want to give you a good life so that you can be happy." Aerith told him as they all walked inside Leon's house.

"I'll be happy if I have mommy and daddy here! Can I go with you?"

"No, sweetie. You need to stay here and go to school."

"I hate school! I want to be with you guys!" Sora started to cry. Aerith comforted him while Zack, Leon and Rinoa all went into the kitchen.

"Look, we're so thankful to you."

"Sure." Leon already knew what he was going to say. This was a very common pattern and truthfully, he felt sorry for his nephew.

"We won't be gone long this time."

That was their excuse every time.

"We'll take care of Sora. Don't worry." Rinoa said.

"Y'all are the best." Zack told them.

(_End of Flashback_)

Sora rolled onto his opposite side. Having a great memory was a curse sometimes.

After that, he started seeing his parents less and less. Eventually, Leon had to cancel his cable and even his internet so that Sora wouldn't try to see them, simply because every time he did that he would cry and skip school. Sora would often ask why his parents didn't tell anyone about him. Leon told him they were just protecting his innocence. It took a while for Sora to accept that, but it was the only thing he was thankful for. Sora didn't want attention.

Sora avoided TV and the media while he was growing up. He overheard so many people talking about pointless gossip over the years, so he spent most of his time in the library where talking was kept at a minimum. He mostly read non-fiction books and it became one of his favorite hobbies. It was a way to escape from all of the pain he felt. Any time someone talked about his mother, he tried his hardest not to listen. There were so many times when he just wanted to tell his peers to shut up and get a life.

But now that he had grown and matured, Sora wanted nothing more than to live the simple life.

I-.-I

Noon came. Kairi got out of the taxi and carried her suitcase up to the door of the cafe. There were a few bodyguards standing around, meaning Aerith was already here. They recognized her and let her inside. Aerith was waiting for her at a table in the corner. She rolled her suitcase with her as she went and sat down.

"Hello," Kairi greeted.

"Nice to see you. We're you going to leave the island after this?" she asked, eying Kairi's suitcase.

"Oh... I don't know what I'm doing after this..."

Aerith examined her face carefully before speaking again, "Maybe I can help you with that."

"What?"

Aerith pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. As she unfolded it, Kairi saw that it was the same picture that went around last night. Regret filled her and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Aerith was calm, however as she laid the printed picture out in front of her.

"Yes, I get it, it was stupid to argue with him but seriously, it's all a big-"

"I don't care about that," Aerith interrupted, "...do you know this boy personally?"

"Well, kind of. Not really. I've seen him a few times."

Aerith smiled, making Kairi even more confused. "I would like you to do me a favor. In return, I will help you get back on your feet."

"...W-What?"

"Will you help me?" Aerith asked.

Kairi didn't know how to respond.

I-.-I

**A/N:** Chapter seven, done! And what better than a lovely cliffhanger? (They're my favorite things!) What did you think Aerith will ask her? Let me know in a **review_. _**Seriously, you guys have been great. I'm glad that I've been inspired again. And tell me what you think of the cover photo!

What happened with Roxas and Namine will be explained in the next chapter. I didn't forget about them!

**Zexion:** Still waiting for me to appear! Can I be the librarian in Sora's flashbacks? A famous poet or author? Something? Anything? Pwease?!


	8. Decisions, Decisions

**A/N:** There's going to be a lot of RokuNami in this chapter. Hehe!

I-.-I

**Chapter Eight**

I-.-I

Namine's eyes flickered open, only to meet the bright sunlight shining from the glass door. It was nine o'clock in the morning. She was in Roxas' bed, and he was right next to her—still asleep. Namine blushed and smiled to herself; reminiscing of the night before. She had done something that she never thought was possible.

_(Flashback: six hours earlier_)

After Roxas told her that she could come over to his room, Namine could barely contain her excitement. However, she knew that the situation would be emotional for him, considering Kairi's termination. _'But... why do I feel so... happy?'_

Namine buttoned up her white top and let her hair down. She put on some casual blue jeans and flats. However, underneath that modest exterior... was the cutest lingerie she had.

Namine knocked on Roxas' door. It took a few moments, but he finally let her inside. Namine hugged him right away. He was wearing a T-shirt and gym shorts; his hair was wet and he smelled nice. "Sorry, I just got out of the shower."

"That was fast," Namine giggled, but quickly changed her expression due to the mood. "I'm sorry that you're going through this. Is there anything you need?"

"More hugs from a best friend?" Roxas stretched his arms out. Namine blushed and hugged him back. They just stood there holding each other. Namine felt butterflies in her stomach. _'Can I really go through with this? How would he react...?'_ she pondered as she felt his warmth against her body.

"Namine," Roxas began in a low whisper, "thank you. I know that I say that a lot, but I really mean it. I'm glad that you're here."

Namine looked directly into his eyes. _'Is this it...? Should I... kiss him?'_

She was too shy.

But Roxas wouldn't take his eyes off of her and that made her want him more.

So she shut her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked as his arms left her and returned to his sides. It took a moment for Namine to register his words; she was really hoping for something.

_'Unless I make a move, he would never get the hint... but he's so vulnerable right now... it wouldn't be right...'_ Namine thought. _'But maybe it will be my only chance...'_

"Roxas," she mustered in a low whisper. Namine opened her eyes. Roxas was giving her a worried look.

"Yes?"

"I... uh..." she couldn't meet his gaze anymore, so she just stared at the floor. They had been standing in front of the front door since she got here. Namine took a deep breath. It was now or never. She stepped closer to him; he didn't back away. He just looked confused and worried at the same time. On her tip toes, Namine leaned in. Her lips brushed against his, but then he took a step back.

"Namine, what are you doing?"

"Um..." she had no explanation. She had already started. Her body was screaming at her to continue. Namine wrapped her arms around him. She wasn't one to throw herself at someone, but this had gone on too long. Roxas needed to see her as more than just a friend.

"Namine..."

That was it. She had to have him.

"Roxas, I... want you."

"W-What?"

Namine started to unbutton her shirt slowly; not taking her eyes off of him. Roxas was stunned; he had no idea how to react at the moment, but his hands involuntarily started twitching as she took off her shirt to reveal a blue and black polka dot bra. She then pressed her body against his, still staring into his eyes. "I... want... you."

"Nami-"

Their lips touched; so many emotions were swarming through her. Roxas wasn't pushing her away—or doing anything for that matter, but Namine persisted. As they made out, she gently made him wrap his arms around her bare back. Roxas flinched at the touch. Namine's soft hands stroked his cheeks as she continued to kiss him. Pretty soon, he started kissing her back. Roxas couldn't deny how sexy she was for doing this, but at the same time, it didn't feel right. He was having so many mixed feelings that he ultimately chose the innate ones. They managed to make it over to his bed, where he gently set her down and got on top of her. It had been so long since Roxas did something like this.

He didn't really want to think about the consequences anymore. Roxas took off his shirt and threw it onto the floor. He leaned in and kissed her passionately. Things were getting more and more heated. Before he went any further, he lifted up a little and asked, "Are you... sure about this?" Namine nodded, then pulled him closer.

_'Am I dreaming? Is this really happening...?'_

Roxas started kissing her neck and chest. His desires were flooding through him like wildfire. He had never seen Namine like this and to him, it was very intriguing. He had completely forgotten why he was upset in the first place. Namine was in a state of pure bliss as the man she had loved for so long left trails of kisses all over her body.

"Roxas," she was able to get out, "this... I've actually never... done this..."

"What?" he gave her a surprised look, "Wow, you're a great actress then..." he moved up and kissed her lips, "that just makes this even hotter..."

"So... it's okay?"

"Of course. Your innocence is adorable."

Namine blushed and they started making out again.

Nothing could beat this.

(_End of Flashback_)

Namine was off in her own little world. Her first time was with the one she loved.

"Are you awake?" Roxas startled her.

"Oh, yeah. Good morning..."

"Good morning." they kissed, but Roxas felt a little uneasy. Namine didn't notice, however, she was too caught up in the moment.

"Anyway... you probably should get back to your room before the boss finds out." Roxas said as he got up and sat on the side of the bed. Namine crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She kissed his neck softly, but Roxas slightly pulled away.

_'What have I done...? I wasn't even drunk...'_

"Alright," Namine giggled and went over to the other side of the bed. Her shirt and jeans were on the floor. Part of her really wanted to do it again, but Roxas was right—she needed to get back to her room. Once they both were fully dressed, Roxas walked her to the door. Namine smiled at him and blushed. Roxas gave a half smile, but it didn't last long.

"Listen, Nami... about last night..."

"Shh," Namine kissed him, "you don't have to say anything. I enjoyed spending time with you."

"...yeah... me too."

Namine felt amazing.

Roxas—not so much.

I-.-I

Around noon, Kairi met up with Aerith at the Sunset Cafe. Aerith was asking her for a favor and she was at loss of what to say.

"What would you like me to do?" Kairi asked after registering it in her mind.

"The Movie Awards show is in two months. Were you planning on attending?" Aerith asked.

"Well, I _was_... but I'm not so sure now."

"Right. Maybe I can help you get back on your feet and be even better than before."

"You... would do that?" Kairi asked, giving her an uneasy look.

"Yes, but you will have to do something for me."

"...Uh, sure. What is it?"

Aerith pointed to the picture, "this boy... what is your relationship with him?"

"What? Oh... we're just... friends."

"Friends?"

"Yes." Kairi confirmed. "I've only seen him a few times."

"I want you... to bring him to the Movie Awards."

"Huh...? But why?" Kairi asked, a bit confused. "He doesn't like that stuff."

"Kairi, your career is on the line." Aerith reminded her, "I'm giving you a chance, here. If you can get this boy to come to the Movie Awards show, I will guarantee you a spot in my next drama or movie."

"Okay, but... isn't that kind of like... using him?"

Kairi didn't understand why the popular actress in the world wanted Sora to come to the Movie Awards, but she wasn't really in a position to refuse. What better offer would she receive after everything that has happened? Kairi really didn't want to go back home.

"Sort of, but I have a few conditions." Aerith said. Kairi was surprised at her honesty. "You cannot tell him or anyone that I want him there, or that we ever spoke at all."

"Of course..." Kairi felt a little weird.

"Good. So you'll do it?" Aerith stretched her hand out across the table. Kairi hesitated for a moment. She was in a tough spot.

"The thing is... I don't have anywhere to live."

"So live with him."

"I-I can't do that!" Kairi spat out, "There's no room!"

"I'm pretty sure that you can make it work. Kairi, I will manage your finances. You have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is bring him to the show. You're an actress, aren't you? Use your skills."

"...okay..." Kairi shook her hand. _'Does she know him or something?'_

"Great." Aerith smiled and gripped her hand for a few more seconds before letting go. Kairi managed to smile at her, but inside she was feeling very uncertain about it all.

"I have one question, and don't take it the wrong way." Kairi started, "how did you get my number?"

"Terra gave it to me." Aerith said simply, "Before the picture came out."

"I... see..."

I-.-I

Kairi was a bit torn over doing this. As far as she could tell, Sora hated any sort of celebrity function—or just celebrities in general. _'But why would Aerith Gainsborough want anything to do with him? This makes no sense...'_ she pondered. Kairi checked her phone. She had a message from Roxas.

_"Hey, are you doing alright?"_

_"I'm fine."_ she responded.

_"I need to talk to you. Where are you?"_

Kairi sighed. The last person she wanted to see was the one enamored with her. _"I'm busy. I can't meet right now."_

_"Okay, just let me know when you're available."_

Kairi put her phone away; she didn't plan on seeing him. There were more important matters at hand. _'How am I going to do this...? Just act like I'm his friend and then beg him to go? He would never go for it...'_

_'Plus, I would basically be using him to get my career back...'_

"Ugh, why?!" Kairi yelled. She couldn't understand it. Why did _this_ have to be the condition to get her life back on track? And although Aerith was a pretty powerful person, could she really convince her director to give Kairi a chance after all that she's done? (Even though she was highly misunderstood?)

At the same time, going back to her life before she was an actress was a nightmare.

She felt like she didn't have a choice.

I-.-I

Aerith was satisfied with her decision to talk to Kairi. _'Maybe I can finally be on talking terms with him after this...'_ she took a sip of her coffee and sat there in the empty cafe. She knew that Sora would be upset when he found out, but she believed that Kairi had the skills to soften him up a little.

_'I hope this will help...'_

I-.-I

A few days went by. Kairi stayed in a different hotel. She didn't have much in her savings and she hadn't talked to Aerith since their meeting at the cafe. All Kairi did was check the internet and text Yuna or her brother. She ordered her food from room service and was really starting to feel fidgety from being cooped up. Roxas called a few times, but she didn't want to talk to him.

She knew that she could meet up with Sora again at the bar, but the thought of it made her extremely nervous. Sora was a nice guy, despite the way she treated him. It wasn't like she could just change her attitude completely and suddenly be nice to him. If she did this, she would have to act like she always did. Rude and obnoxious.

That was it. She couldn't stand being in this hotel room anymore. Kairi needed some fresh air. She needed... to see him. That was the only way that she could decide on whether to _really_ go through with this or not.

That night, she made her way over to The Shack.

I-.-I

Sora was pretty busy; lately more and more customers had been coming in. Ten people at once wasn't that bad, but it was more than usual. Riku was there too, attending to customers. A girl asked him for another drink. "Right away," he said and smiled. As he was making it, the door opened and the bell sounded. "Welcome to the Shack," Sora called out without looking up. The room got quiet as Kairi came in, then people started whispering to each other. A bit confused about the sudden silence, Sora finished the drink and saw her as he handed it to the customer.

"Oh... hey."

Kairi had a weird feeling in her chest. Everyone stared at her as she and Sora locked eyes. He smiled and it gave her butterflies. _'What is going on...?'_ Kairi asked herself. _'No... I can't... I can't do this...'_ she quickly turned and hurried out of the bar.

"Riku, I'll be right back." Sora said. Riku nodded and Sora ran out after her.

I-.-I

**A/N: **Oh my, I wonder what Kairi will do? Sounds like she's in a pretty tough situation. Please leave me your thoughts! I love reading your predictions. Hah! The RokuNami part was longer than I expected, but trust me, it was needed! **Review**!


	9. Screw You, Conscience!

**A/N:** So let's just pretend that there was a lovely bridge built between the islands of Destiny Islands. K? K. Sorry for the late updates, I've been paying attention to E3 (still sad) and my friend let me borrow KH 1.5 (such a pretty game!).

On with the chapter! Enjoy!

I-.-I

**Chapter Nine**

I-.-I

Sora followed Kairi outside. A few people stood at the door of the Shack or watched from the windows, but they were already too far for them to hear anything. Kairi went faster as he tried to catch up with her.

_'What am I going to do? I didn't expect him to follow me...'_

"Kairi, wait up!"

Kairi stopped and turned around. The past few days had been terrible for her. She lost her job, didn't have much money and now she was pretty much being forced to deceive the most innocent guy she has ever met for her own benefit."Hey, what's the matter? Why did you just walk in then leave?" Sora asked in between breaths.

"Oh, uh..."

_'Quick, come up with something...'_

"I had to fart." Kairi said bluntly.

"What?" Sora raised his eyebrow at her.

_'Really, Kairi? That's the best you could come up with? Ugh...'_ she mentally cursed herself and then spoke again, "Yes, do you have a problem with that or would you have rather let me rip one right in the middle of your stupid, little congested bar?"

"...I guess not." Sora rubbed the back of his head. "So... did you already-"

"Shut up!" Kairi's face went red. She really dug herself a hole with that one.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. I thought there was something wrong. I was... a little worried... I guess."

_'He was worried about me?'_

"So... if you would like to come back inside, a pina colada is on me." Sora offered.

"I don't think I should drink..." Kairi said.

Sora didn't disagree, but he could tell something was off about her. However, instead of asking, the two went back to the bar and he gave her a glass of water. A few people crowded around her and took pictures—without her consent. Kairi knew this was a bad idea, but she just dealt with it.

"Come on, people. Have some respect." Sora said as nicely as he could to the customers, "Give her some space. You wouldn't want anyone up in your face, would you?" The customers exchanged glances and scattered around the room, keeping their distance from Kairi.

"Thank you..." Kairi said. This was making it even harder on her. Riku washed some dishes and talked with Sora; Kairi listened here and there, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't figure out what to do about her career and her life in general. Taking advantage of Sora just to get a role with Aerith Gainsborough was selfish and very unlike her, even though she was a mean person on the outside. Kairi worked hard to get to where she was, only to ruin it.

_'I'll go and apologize to Terra again... or maybe Roxas can help me... there has to be another way...'_

Sora glanced over at her every now and then. He couldn't imagine what was going through her head. She looked exhausted and stressed out and he felt bad for her. Riku went on about something he and Xion did the other day. Riku was getting more and more used to Kairi's company; before he was a little nervous when she was around simply because she was famous, but now he was able to let go and be his normal self.

"Hey, Kairi," Riku said, "want to come with Sora and I to the Midnight Barbeque after we get off?"

"Huh? Fine." Kairi had nothing better to do. She couldn't stand staying in the hotel room. She promised herself that she wouldn't drink, though. She couldn't afford to get into anymore trouble.

An hour later, Sora and Riku closed down the bar and headed over to the main island with Kairi. They decided to take the smallest boat possible, making Kairi very uncomfortable and afraid. Sora and Riku rowed over to the island in the distance while Kairi sat in the middle, hugging her knees tightly.

"Why did you guys have to go this way? There _is _a bridge that connects the islands, you know."

"Yeah, but... isn't this more fun?" Sora asked.

Kairi glared at him, "Do I look like I'm having fun? This boat could tip over! Do you know how much these clothes cost?"

"That's not my problem." Sora said casually as he continued to row. Riku chuckled. "Besides, if you stay still, the boat will be fine."

"Ugh..." Kairi did as she was told, but didn't hesitate to pout about it.

They made it onto the shore. Riku got out and he and Sora tied the boat up. Kairi didn't move; she was still afraid of falling into the water. Sora put out his hand for her. "Come on,"

"If you make me fall, I'm killing you."

"If you grab my hand, you won't fall."

"You two are adorable." Riku said randomly.

"WHAT?!" They both yelled in unison. Riku just laughed. Kairi, in the most stubborn way imaginable, ignored Sora's hand and stood up by herself. The boat wobbled a little, causing her to shriek and grab onto the wooden post nearby. Sora sighed and watched as Kairi struggled to step out of the boat herself and onto the sand. She made it with no injuries or wet clothes.

"Hmph." Kairi followed Riku over to the road. Sora gave her a confused look and just trotted behind them.

I-.-I

Ten minutes went by and the trio was still walking. Kairi was falling behind. "How far is this place?" Kairi complained, "My feet hurt! Can't we just call a taxi? Are you guys listening? You know, it's not safe for someone like me to be back here like this. I could get kidnapped and you two wouldn't even notice!"

"Kairi, nobody wants to kidnap you." Sora responded, "and if they did, they would free you within five minutes because you complain too much."

"I do not! And what do you mean nobody would want to kidnap me? I'm Kairi Hikari! Everyone loves me!"

"How many times are you going to say your name?" Sora asked.

"I just mean my feet hurt and I can't understand why we're walking if it's obviously this far away!"

"It's right over there," Riku pointed up ahead to a small cottage.

"Well, why didn't you say so? GAH." Kairi rushed ahead of them, feet still in pain. The smell of barbeque was entrancing. She was hungrier than she thought. About ten people—mostly middle aged men were already inside, eating and drinking. Xion was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Took you guys long enough." she said to Sora and Riku. "Oh... hey." she said shyly to Kairi. "I'm Xion... their friend."

"Uh huh, watch out. Hungry." Kairi pushed past her and went inside. Sora and Riku just shrugged and and followed.

"Waitress," Kairi called out, bringing attention to herself. There were some old men singing on stage, drunk out of their minds. Sora, Riku and Xion sat down with her. "We would like some beef and pork bulgolgi, as well as lots of water." she told the waitress.

"I would like two bottles of Soju." Xion said.

"And rice, lettuce, the whole nine yards." Sora added.

"Basically, a barbeque dinner?" the waitress asked. They all nodded. She turned on their grill and went to get their orders.

"I'm going outside to smoke." Riku said as he got up.

"I'll go with you." Sora and Riku left the table, leaving Kairi and Xion there. It was awkward, to say the least. Kairi pulled out her phone and pretended to look at stuff so she would feel a little better. Like Riku, Xion was a bit nervous around the famous Kairi Hikari. Kairi had that 'untouchable' vibe about her—one that said, 'talk to me and I'll break your face,' at least from Xion's perspective. She couldn't believe she was actually here right now with such a famous celebrity. Even the middle aged men were staring and making remarks about her appearance. Kairi tried to ignore them, but they were loud and obnoxious—obviously drunk.

"Isn't that the girl that was in that one show? I hear she's a bitch in real life! Let's test it!" a man with a patch over his right eye came over to their table. Kairi continued to look at her phone.

"Hey, Xigbar, get her number!" another man called out.

"May I help you?" Kairi asked; a hint of rudeness in her voice. Xigbar leaned over the table and got really close to her.

"I'm just wondering what a fine young lady like yourself is doing here?"

Xion didn't know what to do in this situation. Even though she had considerable knowledge of martial arts, her nerves really got to her. Kairi, however was able to stay calm and collected.

"I wanted some BBQ. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, but I have a problem with something else. Your number isn't in my phone."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Sounds like you're in quite the predicament."

"Xigbar, go sit down and leave the poor lady alone!" The waitress demanded as she came back with the soju and a pitcher of water, as well as some shot glasses. Xigbar whined but did as he was told.

"Thank you," Xion said to the waitress. Kairi's eyes were planted on her phone. The boys came back and sat down.

"Sora, do you smoke too?" Xion asked. She was starting to feel a little more comfortable after seeing how Kairi handled that man.

"No. I just needed a break from Kairi."

Kairi glanced up at him, "yeah, whatever." Sora just laughed.

"I'm kidding. What did I miss?"

"Just some old man hitting on me." Kairi said this loud enough for Xigbar to hear.

"Eh..." Sora glanced over and saw Xigbar glaring in their direction. "Okay, then."

"Sounds like Sora has a little competition," Riku said.

"What? No..."

Kairi ignored Riku's teases. She was often the object of affection, so she learned to get over the flirting and could always tell when someone liked her. It was so obvious that Sora had some sort of feelings for her.

But why did that bother her and make her feel weird?

The meat came and Xion, Riku and Sora started cooking it on the small grill in the middle of the table. Kairi put her phone down and watched as she sipped on some water. Xion took a few shots of Soju; Riku joined in as well. Sora and Kairi just ate the bulgolgi and watched them get tipsy.

"Sora, let's go sing!" Riku said, heading over to the stage. Sora went along with it. Xion cheered them on as they looked for a song to sing. Kairi just watched.

"_Last Friday night, yeah we danced on table tops!" _Riku sang loudly, making everyone cover their ears. He wasn't exactly the best...

_"And we took too many shots... think we kissed but I forgot?"_ Sora continued, feeling a little awkward.

"YEAH!" Xion clapped in excitement. Alcohol really made her feel better. She turned back to Kairi. "Aren't they wonderful? Hehe!"

"Uh... sure."

"So are you and Sora dating?"

"What? No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like him."

"I think you do!" Xion giggled. She was like a completely different person.

Kairi's phone rang. Roxas was calling yet again. She decided to answer this time. Kairi went out to the front where it was quieter.

"Yes?"

"Kairi, are you alright? Where have you been?"

"I'm fine," the music from inside as well as Sora and Riku's terrible singing (maybe just Riku's) was still too loud.

"What is that in the background? Where are you?"

"I'm out with some people. I'm fine. What did you call for?"

"I'm just making sure that you're okay. Listen, I've been talking to Terra for you. I really think you should apologize and ask him for your job back."

"I might." Kairi answered. "Is that all?"

"Well... yeah. I miss you, Kairi."

"I have to go." Kairi hung up before he could say anything else.

I-.-I

After they were all done eating and Riku and Xion had sobered up some, Sora and Kairi separated from them and took a taxi back to the island. They were dropped off at the new hotel Kairi was staying in.

"You're not staying at the Grand Hotel anymore?" Sora asked as he got out with her.

"I... was fired." Kairi said finally, shocking him.

"W-What?"

"Yeah, remember that little picture? Terra found out about it and fired me."

"Damn... so what will you do now?"

She had to make a decision. It was either go back home, beg Terra for her job back or do what Aerith wanted her to do. The Movie Awards show was in two months.

"I don't know."

Sora was too nice. He was too innocent. Kairi had a conscience and it was telling her not to deceive him for the sake of her career.

But maybe she could still be friends with him.

"Yeah..." Kairi's eyes lowered. "If Terra doesn't give me my job back, eventually I'll just have to go back home. I'm running out of money."

"You don't have any savings?"

"No."

"Wow." Sora didn't know what to say. "Well, that sucks."

"It does."

"I hope things get better for you. Really." Sora smiled.

Aerith's promise lingered on her mind. Kairi didn't want to go back to Radiant Garden. She just couldn't.

_'No... don't say it... don't say it...'_

"Unless... you know of a place that I can stay... until I get back on my feet..."

She said it.

"Huh? Not really... Riku and Xion only have a two bedroom apartment and they use both of those bedrooms."

_'Maybe I can stay with him for a few days and in that time beg Terra for my job back?'_

Kairi didn't know why she was dragging this out so much. It was almost like she didn't want to be away from him.

"What if... I stayed with you?"

_'Shit... why can't I listen to my conscience?!'_

"Huh?!" Sora tried to make sure he heard her correctly. "What did you say?"

"You heard me."

"But Kairi, you _know_ there's not much room in my house! You wouldn't like it!"

"So you're not saying no?" Kairi gave him the puppy eyes.

"Eh..." Sora was speechless. _'Is she really asking me this right now?'_ He blushed a little.

"It's either yes or no. That will give me some time to ask Terra... and instead of spending two-hundred a night on a hotel room..." Kairi drifted off.

"Can you even cook? Can you... clean?"

"Sexist." Kairi crossed her arms and glared at him.

"N-No! That's not what I meant... I meant... um... I don't know what I meant!"

Sora was so nervous. Of COURSE he wanted Kairi to live with him. It was a dream come true. But his dreams were far off from reality and he knew that.

Okay, maybe he had a little crush. Just a little one.

"Anyway, I know it's a lot to ask..."

_'Just because I stay with him doesn't mean I'm going along with Aerith's plan. Yeah. That's it.'_

_'But why do I want to spend more time with him? Argh!'_

Sora had never been in a situation like this before. He was so used to living by himself that he wasn't sure if he could even handle another person in his small house. But at the same time, he wanted to get to know her better.

"Okay, okay! You can stay with me... but I'll have to set some rules!"

"Really?" Kairi perked up in excitement.

"Um... wow, this is just... so sudden..." Sora tried to come up with the words to say, "Kairi, you know how small my house is... if you're going to stay with me... for however long," even Sora was surprised with himself, "then... you can't complain about the living conditions!"

"Yeah, yeah. Gotcha."

Kairi couldn't believe that he actually accepted.

"I'm serious. Can you really live without internet or TV?"

_'Damn it... why do I have to do this...?'_

"Yes, I could." Kairi's pride was speaking for her once again.

"Can you clean up after yourself?"

"Um, yes."

"And it will only be until you get enough money to move out?" Sora eyed her.

"Promise."

"Uh... okay..." Sora blushed, "well... as long as you agree to those conditions... then... I guess... you can stay with me."

"YAY!" Kairi hugged him tightly. "Thank you!"

"I'll need to get the house ready, so you can come by tomorrow afternoon, okay?" Sora said after they parted from each other.

She wasn't going to deceive him. She wasn't going to do that at all.

She was sure of it.

I-.-I

**A/N:** Kairi's feelings are more conflicting than ever! Is she in denial? Let me know your thoughts! **Review**! I shall go back to playing 1.5 now!

Shout outs:  
Englishhedgehog13: Don't kill me for making Riku a bad singer! :D  
Fujubop: Feel better, ne? :D


	10. Challenge Accepted

**A/N:** I had to re-write this because I was unsatisfied... hence it taking so long. So sorry. I know it doesn't seem like Roxas and Namine connect much to Kairi and Sora, but they will later. Their stories are still important!

On with the chapter! Enjoy!

I-.-I

**Chapter Ten**

I-.-I

The next day, Kairi packed all of her things. She could hardly sleep the night before; she wasn't sure why she was so excited to stay with Sora. One suitcase was full of shoes, the other two full of makeup, accessories and shoes. She decided that she would put the company's clothes up for sale on various websites as sort of a backlash to Terra. He hated her, she hated him. It was that simple. Kairi wasn't going to stand around and take his crap anymore. If she had to get back into the acting business another way, she didn't need him.

Kairi didn't know where the over-confidence came from all of a sudden. She was determined to find her own way back up the ladder—without anyone's help or pity.

Taking Aerith's offer would be her absolute last resort. Kairi may have been a bitch on the outside, but she had some dignity.

She called Sora to come and help her take her stuff to his house.

Remember, she had dignity.

"Kairi, I told you, I'm preparing for your stay most of today. I'll send Riku and Xion out later."

"What? You're supposed to submit to my every whim."

"Says who? You're not my girlfriend," there was a slight pause, "anyway, I'll see you when you get here."

"Sora!" Kairi yelled, but he already hung up.

A little disappointed, Kairi had no choice but to accept and wait for his friends.

I-.-I

Roxas, Namine and Aqua were at a mid-production press conference answering questions about the upcoming show. Terra advised them not to reveal anything about Kairi and the past few days and to refuse any questions pertaining to her, but of course, that was all they wanted to know. Why was she replaced with Aqua, what happened to her, etc.

Cameras flashed from every direction at the long table they were sitting at. They each smiled and looked presentable for everyone. Roxas hadn't said anything to Namine but simple 'hello's,' since that night.

"Since Kairi Hikari was replaced with Aqua, has the storyline to the drama changed significantly?" one of the journalists asked. Namine spoke up.

"Although there is a new face taking the lead role, our script is still pretty much the same. The overall goal of the drama has not changed."

"Roxas, you have a scene kissing Namine later on in the show," another journalist started, "how do you keep things professional with such a beautiful actress?"

Roxas and Namine blushed slightly and then he said, "Well, it's all acting... I won't deny that Namine is beautiful, but we are nothing more than good friends. I think that since she _is _a good friend of mine that I can do this without feelings attached."

Namine was really hurt by that, but he could have just been putting on a show for everyone.

...not that it would be a major problem if they started dating...

"Right, Nami?" Roxas smiled at her.

"Oh, yes! We are great friends." she laughed.

The conference ended thirty minutes later. Roxas and Namine got into the van with Marluxia and Aqua went with Terra.

"So... what do you think of her?" Namine asked them both.

"I think she's worse than Kairi!" Marluxia blurted out.

"Yeah, she's not that easy to work with but Terra really seems to like her." Roxas responded as he looked through his phone. He began texting Kairi. Namine watched in silence as Marluxia took them back to the hotel. Roxas stayed on his phone.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Once they got up to their floor, Namine stopped him before he went into his room.

"We need to talk." she went past him into his hotel room without his consent. Instead of arguing, Roxas just closed the door and sighed. He knew this was coming. Namine turned to face him; a very serious look on her face. "What we did... what did it mean to you?"

Roxas scratched the back of his neck and avoided eye contact. "I don't know."

"You do realize that I love you, right?" Namine couldn't stop herself now. She knew it was too soon to say such a thing, but they already slept together. Everything was out of the bag now.

"You... what?"

"Roxas, I love you." she repeated, "I've been in love with you for a long time... so did you just take advantage of me?"

"Namine..." Roxas suddenly felt terrible and didn't know what to say. "I... yeah, I... enjoyed my time with you... but..." he could see tears forming in her eyes, "...look, I was really vulnerable that night... and I guess you were too... let's just forget it..."

"I can't forget it!" Namine yelled. "Did you _not _hear what I just said?!"

Roxas really didn't want to hurt her feelings. He always thought of Namine as sweet and innocent, but now that everything was coming out he didn't know how to react. "Namine... I... don't see you that way."

"Then... what do you see me as...?" she asked carefully.

"Like I said before... a good friend."

_'Friend...'_ Namine was getting frustrated. She was hurt. She felt used, even though she was the one that initiated the sexual contact. Her love for him had been hidden for so long that being rejected like this only fueled anger in her. Namine stormed out of the room and back to her own. Roxas sat on his bed and buried his head in his hands. He hated doing that to her, but it would be better than continuing to lead her on. He was stuck on Kairi, even though he knew deep down that things would never be.

"Damn it."

I-.-I

Three hours later, Riku, Kairi and Xion arrived at Sora's house. Xion went to knock on the door while Riku helped her get her things (more like carried them all for her). Sora came to the door. He wiped some sweat from his forehead.

"What were you doing?" Xion asked and raised an eyebrow. Sora seemed a bit exhausted.

"I was making her bed out of my kitchen table and a few other things. Did you bring the mattress?"  
"Yeah, we did. It's in the back of Riku's truck."

"You... what?" Kairi poked her head in. There was a hammer, a bunch of nails and what looked to be a halfway done headboard. "You made... that for me?"

"Well, it was either the floor or we share a bed. I was pretty sure you wouldn't want either."

"More like, I take _your _bed and you sleep on whatever you're making." Kairi made herself comfortable on his bed.

"Hey!" Sora protested. Riku and Xion just laughed. Riku set Kairi's things up against the wall.

"Sora, come help me get the mattress." Riku said.

"Alright," he turned back to Kairi, "you're _not_ sleeping in my bed."

I-.-I

Riku and Xion left twenty minutes later. Kairi was still laying in Sora's bed as he worked on the other one. The hammer was loud, but she tried not to complain. Kairi played games on her phone.

"So, what do you do when you're at home?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know. Anything."

"Ugh, I'm bored already."

"I told you not to complain."

"I'm not complaining. I'm just bored."

"That's not my problem."

"Want me to make it your problem?" Kairi sat up in the bed. Sora gave her a stern look; he wasn't intimidated. He got up and went straight over to her.

"Get out of my bed."

"Make me."

Challenge accepted.

Kairi fell back on the bed as Sora climbed in, not taking his eyes away from her. "W-what the hell are you doing?" she gulped as she tried to move away. Sora crawled closer until his body was hovering over hers. "You know, for a virgin you're very direct!" she yelled as she shut her eyes tightly. Sora leaned down enough for her to feel him breathing on her face.

"Whose bed is this?" he asked in a whisper.

"M-mine!"

_'Is he fucking crazy?!...why do I want to grab him right now...?'_

Kairi's eyes shot open. Sora was still over her, just staring. As if that wasn't creepy enough, Kairi was really confused about what she was feeling at the moment. What kind of person _was_ Sora? Did she... make a mistake by coming here?

"I'll scream rape."

"Nobody would hear you. I live in seclusion for a reason, you know." Sora smirked.

"AHH!" Kairi finally pushed him and jumped off the bed. "RAPIST!"

Sora knew that came out wrong. His sense of humor didn't seem to work on the actress; she seemed to be really freaked out by this. "I win."

"...you what?"

"I'm sleeping in my own bed tonight." Sora said casually as he snuggled up in his covers. "The only way you're getting in this bed is if you sleep with me."

"SORA!" Kairi yelled in embarrassment.

"You know what I mean!" Sora's words always backfired on him.

"No I don't... you just said you would-"

"Could we just drop it? I just wanted to get you off my bed!"

Kairi glared at him from across the room and said, "...fine. I'll use this... one." Kairi watched him carefully as she examined the unfinished bed. The mattress that Riku and Xion brought over was against the wall.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to finish building your bed. Unless you just want to sleep on the floor." Sora said.

He was really going out of his way for her. It only made her feel worse.

Staying with Sora was going to be interesting... to say the least.

I-.-I

Sora finished her bed a few hours later. Kairi was outside playing with her phone. She got wifi by the ocean, but not in Sora's house. It didn't make much sense to her. She was surprised he even had plugs. The news about the drama conference was already online. She skimmed through the article and looked at the pictures. Roxas and Namine seemed happy, and even Aqua looked nice.

Kairi really loved acting.

When she was younger, all she would ever do was sneak into Broadway productions and watch plays and movies. She would picture herself as the star and memorize most of lines to a bunch of different movies. She and Axel would perform skits on the street. People always applauded her.

Then... life happened.

Her parents were going through foreclosure and they lost their home. Kairi and Axel were put on the streets.

Kairi didn't have the best family life. Within the first week of being homeless, their parents tried selling her off to some crackheads. Axel was able to get her out of that situation and take her to a safe shelter. Kairi was truly thankful to Axel, but the bitterness for her parent's abandonment was something she never got over. To cope, she got even more into theater and acting.

Only Kairi's brother new of this pain. Kairi figured out how to cover everything up thanks to becoming an actress.

Two years ago, Kairi's mom tried to come to her for money. She hadn't seen her for eight years before that.

Of course, she shot her down. Her mother looked like she needed rehab.

The only happy memories she had were from times with Axel or her career. She couldn't lose that. She just couldn't.

She had to find a way to get back up to the top—because being down on the bottom only reminded her of those painful memories.

"Kairi, are you hungry?" Sora abruptly interrupted.

"Um... yeah."

"Are you okay?" he leaned over and tried to see her face, but she turned her head. She obviously wasn't happy, but for her own sake, she stashed the thoughts away and stood up.

"What are we eating?" her voice was a little softer than usual, Sora noticed.

"Um, I caught some fish this morning. Do you like grilled salmon?"

"I guess... but,"

"But?" Sora questioned.

"Your kitchen table is my bed."

"We can just sit on our beds and eat. You did that in the hotel, didn't you?" Sora reasoned.

"Yeah. Okay."

I-.-I

Namine struggled with sleep ever since she had that conversation with Roxas. She pretended to be sick so that she didn't have to face him in filming—not yet, anyway. Even her superior acting skills couldn't suppress the hurtful feelings she had experienced the night before. For days she had been in complete and utter bliss, refusing to believe that he may not actually love her. Now that it was out in the open, she still had trouble accepting it.

There was a knock at her door. Namine checked the time—it was nearly eleven at night. "Who... is it?" she asked as she threw her pink robe on.

"Aqua."

"I'm going to bed and I don't feel well," she called out, "do you need something?"

"Would I come here if I didn't need anything?" Aqua responded rudely.

"Ugh..." Namine got out of bed and went to open the door. Aqua immediately came inside, nearly knocking her over as she pushed past her.

"Terra knows how you feel about Roxas." she said bluntly, "and he wants you to stop."

"Why does he like controlling everything?" Namine said aloud without realizing it. Aqua just glared at her. "I... I mean... I can't help it. But don't worry, I got rejected so I will try not to let my feelings get the best of me."

"The reason is... he wants to change your role."

"...what?"

"He doesn't feel like you are suitable for the lead role." Aqua must not have known how to sugarcoat.

"What do you mean? We're almost done filming!"

"And he sees the way you look at Roxas. He thinks those attached feelings do not bring out the realistic emotion. You always look bitter in your scenes. You need to cut it out... so he's cutting you out. You will be reduced to a minor role."

"...that makes no sense! My feelings for Roxas do not effect my acting at all!" Namine yelled.

Aqua merely smirked. "He will meet with you tomorrow to make the changes. I'm simply the messenger. Bye."

Namine couldn't help but think Aqua had something to do with this. Unlike Kairi, she didn't have to throw a fit to get her job back. Apparently Terra thought her emotions effected her performance on stage... what about Roxas? He was head over heels for Kairi and Terra never said anything to him.

_'Aqua is simply trying to steal the spotlight...'_

I-.-I

Kairi's new bed was definitely not as comfortable as she was used to, but she secretly appreciated the effort that was put into it. Kairi's phone didn't have service unless she went outside; she relied a lot on technology over the years to cure her boredom and now that she was living in a cave man's world, she already felt like going crazy. Sora was reading a book in his bed. He had to wear reading glasses—Kairi thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"What are you reading?" Kairi asked. She decided not to argue with him, even though doing so was kind of fun.

"A book about the _Lost Masters._"

"The wha-?"

"You wouldn't be interested. Do you even read?"

It sounded like an insult, but Kairi was too tired to respond negatively, "I only read my scripts and internet articles."

"I thought so."

Sora was a really quiet and reserved person with a sprinkle of adventure every now and then. Kairi was entirely the opposite. She wasn't sure this living arrangement would be the best thing... but at the same time, it was kind of nice having some peace for once, despite the boredom she felt. She was the type that always had to be doing something—except for her previous downtime.

"Tomorrow I'm going to look for casting calls."

"Why don't you try a normal job?" Sora asked, not looking up from his book.

"Tch, I'm too good for that."

"Drop the ego. I won't put up with it in my house." he said it so casually that it almost didn't seem assertive. There was something _sexy_ about him that she couldn't quite figure out. Kairi was no longer in denial—Sora was intriguing even if he did live (in her opinion) like an old man. Sora looked up for the first time and noticed her staring at him. He blinked a few times and then nervously cleared his throat, as if to say, _'what are you looking at...?'_ but Kairi didn't seem to get the hint. Sora shut the book so loudly that it startled her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked as she adjusted herself back into her previous position.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Because you're cute."

Sora blushed at her comment; he wasn't used to someone sober actually saying that to his face. "Uh... I'm going to sleep now," he turned onto his side and faced the wall—away from her. He thought Kairi staying with him could go either way—they would either hate each other or he would fall for her even more.

"You're cute like a kid. Not attractive cute," Kairi lied. She could tell he was uncomfortable. Sora was a huge contradiction. One moment he acted innocent, the next he was on top of her. She couldn't quite figure him out. She could mess with him too.

"Good night." Sora said, slightly crossing his legs. She was making him feel... well, _warm_.

This was going to be _harder_ than he thought.

I-.-I

**A/N:** Lmao, I had to end on that note. Sorry for the long wait! And so it begins... I wonder if Kairi will ever get _back on top_?

Okay, I'll stop.

Please **review**! You guys have _SilvericAnito_ to thank for me getting this chapter out today. I was slightly motivated!

I know my updates were pretty quick before, but right now I'm just trying to work out the details of the story to make sure they fit together—don't want to rush through! Also, I will be going to Alabama tomorrow (6/24) for a casting call for a few days, then this weekend I'm going to New Jersey... so I can't guarantee when the next update will be!

As for my other stories (Apples and Oranges, Fading Innocence) please check my profile for updates on occasion. I still keep up with the story progress section.

'til next time!

_Zexion's corner_  
**Zexion: **You're going to be on a redneck show?  
**Me:** Why yes, you got a problem with that?  
**Zexion:** I could be a redneck.

...I'll leave that mental image for you. (I am in no way a redneck)


	11. Down the Drain

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update! Like I said, I've been on vacation. I've never been around so many kids (2nd cousins and my niece) in my life...

I-.-I

**Chapter Eleven**

I-.-I

Namine marched right up to Terra's room to confront him the next morning. She was stressed from being rejected by Roxas and now Aqua was telling her that she too would be replaced. None of it made sense because she thought that she always did an exceptional job, as well as kept her modest demeanor at all times. Namine knocked on the door. Terra let her inside.

"Sir, I'm a little confused about something that Aqua told me last night..."

Aqua came out of the bathroom wearing a blue robe.

"And what was that?" Terra said and smirked at Aqua.

"That you... don't want me to be in the show anymore...?"

Terra and Aqua busted out laughing, making Namine just sit there in bewilderment. "Hah... you actually believed her?" Terra laughed even harder. This was all just some sick joke to them. Namine always had some level of respect for Terra, but ever since Aqua came around he had become a real jerk. Without another word, she left the room and went downstairs to the cafe. Namine ordered a caramel machiatto and took a seat in the corner. She pulled out her phone and texted Kairi, not really sure why she was doing it.

_"Hey, what are you doing right now?"_

Namine waited about five minutes for a response.

_"I just woke up."_

_"Can you meet me?"_

_"Why? And where? I really don't feel like going out in public."_

_"I want to talk to you."_

_"Fine, but you have to come and get me."_

I-.-I

"Where's the bathroom?" Kairi asked as she looked through her suitcase for some decent clothes. Namine was coming to pick her up in an hour. She settled on some dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Sora was busy doing a crossword puzzle. Kairi had never met anyone like him.

"Outside." Sora answered; but he was still focused on the puzzle.

"What?!" Kairi's mouth gaped open.

He was being serious. There was a portable toilet on the left side of the house. Kairi didn't want to believe it, but it was right there before her eyes. She had nightmares about these things, especially since there had been many times when she had no choice but to use them while she was on set. They were never clean and there was never any toilet paper. Kairi had to keep toilet paper in her purse for a long time.

She stepped through the sand and carefully reached for the door handle. Hesitating because of how gross it was to her, Kairi cringed and shut her eyes as she pulled it open. It took a few seconds, but she finally looked inside. She was surprised to see a sink in there, along with lemony soap and paper towels. There was a cabinet with extra toilet paper inside. The mirror above the sink was spotless.

_'Did he build this himself?'_ she was actually quite impressed.

After Kairi was done, (it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be) she went back around to Sora's front door. Before going in, however she heard the waves. Kairi watched them for a while. It was so calming. Kairi decided to sit on the porch step and reminisce. Eventually, Sora came outside. The sun shone directly ahead, but the breeze made things a lot more comfortable.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long... besides the fact that you're a girl."

Kairi didn't respond. Sora went on.

"I know people may think that I'm weird, but I have my reasons. I really like living here. It's private and I don't have to answer to anyone. I can live how I want. I don't have to worry much." Kairi listened and pulled out her phone. She was connected to the internet. Sora watched her from the corner of his eye as she browsed through her e-mail.

"Someone wants to buy my dress!" Kairi exclaimed suddenly.

"What?"

"Well, the company's dress. I'm selling it for five grand. I wore it so obviously it's worth more than that, but I put up a lot of things. Hmm..." Kairi scanned through the e-mail and then turned to Sora, "will you be my delivery boy?"

"Huh? No."

"Come on! I can get a lot of money!"

"And what do I get?" Sora asked stubbornly.

"The satisfaction of helping a beautiful girl make money."

"You're full of it."

"I'm full of greatness."

"Yeah, okay." Sora rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help smiling a little. "So when is Namine coming to get you?"

"Pretty soon. I'm going to walk to the nearest street. I don't want her to freak out because I'm staying with you." Kairi reasoned. Sora put on his reading glasses and flipped through a notebook. There were endless pages of writing in this notebook—Kairi was in awe. Sora began jotting some things down.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought of an idea for the book I'm writing."

"You're writing a book?" Kairi repeated, a little interested.

"Yup."

"You're so weird. What's it about?"

"A love triangle. The main character's girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, whom has been in love with her for years."

Kairi didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm kidding. Believe it or not, I write children's books."

"...huh?" Kairi tilted her head.

"Yeah, I sell them at the local bookstore for some extra cash and sometimes I go to the library and read them to the kids." Sora continued writing stuff down. "You should come with me sometime."

"I hate kids." Kairi blurted out. "They're too wild." Kairi paused for a moment, "So basically... you're a virgin bartender that writes stories for children and lives like a cave man...?"

"That's me."

"Okay..."

"Do you have a resume?" Sora asked randomly.

"No, I don't need one." Kairi pulled out a mirror and checked her hair and makeup.

Sora sighed and gave her a stern look. "You _do_ need a resume. Welcome to the _real_ world, Kairi."

"Been there, done that."

"What do you mean?" Sora questioned.

Kairi stopped what she was doing and thought for a moment. She really didn't mean to say that out loud, but Sora had his full attention on her and now she was getting nervous.

"Well... I _did_ have a life before acting."

"Like what? I mean... what was it like for you before all the glitz and glam?" Sora shut his notebook and rested his head on his hand as he waited for her to respond. There was a sense of innocence in his demeanor and Kairi couldn't help but blush.

"Um..." Kairi didn't want to tell him about that time. She had stashed those "memories" deep down and hated thinking or talking about it. She was ashamed of her past and where she came from. Even someone like Sora couldn't understand the life she went through to get to where she was today—well, before her acting career had a falling out.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I don't have the best memories growing up either." Sora said and set his notebook on the nightstand.

"I'll tell you if you tell me," Kairi said shyly.

"That's okay. Hey, I'm going to the store tomorrow. Make me a list—of necessities." Sora added.

"Um... okay."

Kairi wanted to have long conversations with Sora, but she just simply did not know what to talk about. They were so different from each other that she couldn't figure out a common ground, so she just went with the resume idea.

"If you help me write my resume, I'll give you... one free hug." Kairi said quietly as she blushed a little. This prompted Sora to look up at her in slight confusion.

"Why does there need to be an incentive?"

Before Kairi could answer, she got a text from Namine saying she was on her way. "Welp, I'm out." Kairi put on her shoes.

"I have to work tonight, so just let yourself in if I'm not here." Sora reached for the key next to his lamp and went over to the front door where she was. "I almost forgot to give you one." Kairi took it from him and smiled a little. Her timid nature around him was surfacing again.

_'Maybe... I do like him... a little...'_ Kairi pondered as she opened the door. "Thanks for the key."

"You're welcome." Sora stood at the door and saw her off. "Oh, Kairi?"

"Hm?" she turned around.

"I like it better when you're nice."

"Tch..." Kairi rolled her eyes, but ended up grinning at him. He waved, making her flutter. Part of her wanted to ask him to walk with her, but she didn't want to risk being caught with him again.

Kairi walked halfway towards the hotel. She came to the street she told Namine she would be at and after waiting for about ten minutes, Namine finally arrived. Kairi wasn't sure why she agreed to hang out with her.

"We're going to the casino." Namine said as Kairi got into the passenger's seat.

"...what...?" Kairi barely had a chance to put on her seat belt as a very frustrated Namine sped down the road.

I-.-I

Sora arrived at work later that evening. As he was setting up for the night, he heard someone come in the door. It was Roxas. Sora recognized him, but couldn't remember his name. Roxas sat up at the bar and examined Sora closely for about thirty seconds before Sora actually said something to him. He felt very awkward.

"Have you seen Kairi?" Roxas finally asked.

"Uh..." Sora wasn't sure if he should tell anyone about her living with him. The last thing he wanted was paparazzi to surround his safe haven. "Not recently." he lied. "Could I get you something?"

"You can tell me where Kairi is." Roxas demanded. He knew Sora wasn't telling the truth and that only frustrated him more. He was worried about Kairi and she wasn't answering his calls or texts.

"She told me she was going back home. I have no idea where that is." Sora was relieved to see another customer walk in. He quickly served them what they wanted and tried to look busy to hide how weird he felt around Roxas. The vibe from him wasn't good.

Roxas sighed and checked his phone for the fifth time. "You've gotten farther with Kairi than I ever have... and in just a matter of days." his tone had changed dramatically to a more defeated one. Sora shushed him. The other guy sitting at the bar just raised his eyebrow as he drank.

"What is your problem?!" Sora said in a hushed manner. "All of those times were accidents or misunderstandings. There is nothing going on with me and Kairi."

"I don't believe you, but... ugh, just give me the strongest thing you've got."

"Moonshine okay?" Sora was a little hesitant to give him anything. He seemed a little tipsy already.

"Fine, whatever."

Sora felt kind of sorry for him.

I-.-I

Kairi will never go to a casino again.

Kairi lost $600 in twenty minutes.

Kairi was not happy.

"FUCKING SLOT MACHINE!" Kairi continued to place the maximum bet. Namine had let out all of her frustration already and had won a decent amount of money, but Kairi was having the worst possible luck—and the problem was she couldn't stop.

"Kairi, we should go..." Namine tried to get her away from the slot machine, but Kairi wouldn't budge.

"Hold on, I just won twelve dollars! I know I can get more!"

"Kairi, you're not going to! Come on! I'm sorry for bringing you here... this was a terrible idea..." Namine could feel all of the eyes on them; even though the casino was filled with older people, a lot of them knew who the two actresses were. Any moment now a reporter would find them and the rest of them would swarm in like a disease. Namine only wanted to relieve some stress, but it had turned into a full blown disaster with Kairi.

Ten minutes later, they left. Kairi complained the entire time. She only won about $50, but spent over $700 because she was convinced that she had a buyer for her dress. However, she hadn't heard from them.

"This sucks... this is really bad..." Kairi kept saying over and over as they pulled into a smoothie cafe.

"I'll buy," Namine said—shooting down her pride even more.

"I'd rather go to Sora's bar..."

"What?" Namine asked as the two girls got out of the car. "Who?"

"N-nothing." Kairi didn't say anything else about it, so Namine just let it go. They ordered some low fat smoothies and sat at a table.

"So... I wanted to talk to you." Namine began. "I'll get straight to the point. Are you _really_ not interested in Roxas...?"

"Namine, I have no feelings for him whatsoever. You can have him."

"That's the thing..." she blushed, "...he doesn't like me that way."

"Oh well." Kairi went to get the smoothies and brought them back to the table. Namine fiddled with her straw for a few moments before saying anything again.

"It really upsets me... the way you treat him."

"If anything, you should be happy." Kairi said and took a sip of her smoothie. It was a mixture of strawberries, blueberries and acai and it tasted amazing.

"I'm happy that you don't like him, but he gets really stressed over you. Can you just... let him know that you're okay?"

"I don't get why you're talking to me about this." Kairi was always blunt around Namine.

"I just don't like seeing him upset."

"Okay?" Kairi figured this wasn't going anywhere. "Thanks for the smoothie and I hope you feel better." She left Namine there by herself. Kairi got her phone out and texted Sora, knowing he would be at work.

_"Are you guys busy?"_

Sora answered not long after. _"Not really, but your former co-star is here getting hammered. I'm about to kick him out."_

"...great..."

Well, that plan was out the window.

Just then, her phone went off. Aerith was calling. In a panic, Kairi made sure there was no one within earshot and answered.

"Hello?"

"Kairi, how are you?"

"I'm doing alright..." her nerves were kicking in, "...how are you?"

"I'm okay. So have you decided to take me up on my offer? I've already talked with my director about you and he seems to be really excited to start a new drama in a few months. He says you would be perfect for one of the lead roles."

"Oh... really...?" Kairi got another text from Sora. It said, _"yeah, I'd love your company, but now is just not a good time."_ Him saying that was a little weird, but made her feel happy nevertheless. Aerith's voice snapped her out of it.

"It sounds like you're still a bit on the fence about it."

"It's just... Sora's a really nice guy. I'm really confused as to why you want me to bring him..."

"Because..." Aerith paused for a moment, "Sora is my son."

Kairi dropped her phone.

I-.-I

**A/N:** It took me forever to write this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a **review** like always! I'll be home from vacation tomorrow. Peace!


	12. Condoms and stuff

**Chapter Twelve**

I-.-I

Kairi's phone died upon hearing those words. She didn't realize her battery was so low, but right now she was in shock. Sora—the weirdest person she ever met was the _son_ of her idol/role model? Sora was the _son_ of Aerith Gainsborough?

And now she was even more confused. She remembered Sora saying that his childhood wasn't the best one. She remembered how much he couldn't stand anything about the media, celebrities...

"Is she really his _mother_?!" Kairi asked herself aloud; a million questions whirling around in her head. Kairi forced herself to walk. She knew Sora wouldn't be home yet.

Even though she heard it right from Aerith herself, Kairi still couldn't help but deny the possibility. It made sense, considering Sora's resentment, but yet it still didn't. _'Does he... hate her...?'_ The reasons were endless. Kairi wanted to know more. She had always thought of Aerith like a goddess—before she became an actress Aerith was her inspiration. She couldn't understand why anyone would hate her unless they were jealous.

She had to know.

"Sora may have something around that house..."

She arrived back at Sora's ten minutes later. Getting out her key that Sora gave her earlier, she hesitated for a moment and stood there deep in thought.

He trusted her.

_'Who am I... to come between a mother and son...? Even if it is for the sake of my career...'_

Kairi sighed, unlocked the door and went inside. She flipped on the light. Sora had made her bed for her. A fresh, flowery scent was coming from the air freshener plugged into the wall. (Kairi was thankful for this—before that it smelled weird to her). There was a small note on her bed.

_"If you're hungry, there's some grilled chicken in the fridge. I'll be home around eleven."_

_-Sora_

He was so _nice_.

Kairi plugged her phone into the charger. It was ten thirty. She noticed a text from Aerith.

_"I'm sorry for the sudden shock, per se, but I am making you a once in a lifetime offer. If you sign the contract, you automatically get ten million for the season. There are many other benefits to go along with this. I don't know why you're taking so long to accept."_

"She makes it sound like I have to..." Kairi was a little annoyed with this, but at the same time...

Despite all of these nice (and sweet) things Sora was doing for her, her curiosity was still in full swing. Kairi examined Sora's bed, nightstand and dresser. She wondered what he kept under his bed... what he kept in his nightstand...

"No... I can't..." Kairi plopped into her bed and just stared.

_'Ten million... huh...'_

Kairi did love money.

Another text came.

_"I can pull some strings and get you double. You'll be making almost as much as me for this show."_

The stakes were higher. Kairi looked around the tiny house. She didn't want to live here.

But damn it, Sora was just so nice!

...and cute.

Kairi didn't even know how to ask him. Sora seemed to keep to himself when in came to his personal life just like she did.

_'Ugh... I wanna look...'_

Her curiosity got the best of her.

Kairi sat down in front of Sora's nightstand and slowly pulled open the top drawer. She peeked inside. His notebook and a few pens were in there. As if someone were around, she quietly closed the drawer and went to the next one. There were a few folders, each labeled A – C. Kairi picked up folder "A" and opened it. Inside were a bunch of mathematical equations, floor plans and everything that would give her a headache. Kairi quickly put that back and assumed the other folders were just as boring. She then noticed something else in the back corner of the drawer. It looked like a gray candy wrapper. Kairi pulled it out and read the words on the wrapper.

It wasn't candy.

"A FUCKING CONDOM?!" Kairi nearly threw up in her mouth. "XXL?!" She threw it back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

"Gross, gross, gross... GROSS!" Kairi shuddered. "Wait, was he planning on _using_ that? With... me? It _has_ to be me, who else would he want to... AH!" Kairi hugged herself tightly and blushed deep red. "I'm the victim here... that must have been Sora's plan ALL ALONG!"

There was a knock at the door, startling her. After seeing that, she didn't want to answer the door at eleven o'clock at night.

Riku's voice was heard. "Kairi, are you okay?"

"W-What do you want?" Kairi yelled back, still freaked out. She regretted ever looking.

Then she had an idea.

Riku was Sora's best friend. He must know _something_ .

After a few moments, a lot of throat clearing and mind cleansing, Kairi straightened up and went over to the door to let him in. It was time to use her wonderful acting skills to get what she wanted without feeling bad about it. "What are... you doing here?" She asked in a softer, more innocent voice.

"Sora asked me to check on you... and his house to make sure it was still in tact."

Kairi was having trouble concentrating. She knew a good-looking man when she saw one.

_'He is freaking hot.'_ Kairi thought to herself as she examined Riku's features. She had forgotten all about Sora at the moment.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked.

"Riku, have you ever thought about modeling?" she gently placed her hand on his chest, making Riku blush.

"Uh... no..." Riku blinked a few times and tried to move away a little out of embarrassment.

"Because," Kairi just wanted an excuse to touch his arms, "I think you would be great at it."

By flirting with him and using cute puppy eyes, maybe he would tell her what she wanted to know.

"Eh... thanks. Well, it looks like you're doing fine. You should let Sora know."

"Why?" Kairi was still entranced by Riku's dreamy face. Why hadn't she seen this before? He was such great eye candy.

...candy.

"FUCK." Kairi yelled, immediately remembering the condom in Sora's drawer. She just had to ask. Forget Sora's family life. Riku's eyes widened at her sudden outburst.

"Riku, why the hell does Sora have condoms?!"

Alarmed, Riku cleared his throat and nervously looked everywhere but at her, "...what? Because he's... a guy?"

"HE WANTED TO HAVE SEX WITH ME, DIDN'T HE?!"

"NO! No way! I mean... uh..." Riku was speechless. Just then, Sora appeared at the door. "Bye!" Riku zoomed out.

"What are you going on about?" Sora asked almost too casually as he went over to his dresser.

"Y-You..."

"Me?" Sora turned his head slightly as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"WHOA. Calm down, mister!" Kairi covered her eyes.

"...huh? What is wrong with you?" Sora stopped on the third button and just stared at her strangely.

"If you're going to change, go somewhere else!"

"This is my house."

"I don't care! I don't... want to... see that."

Okay, she was lying.

"I think you're lying. Besides, you were just checking Riku out. Hard core." Sora read her mind. "I think you _do_ want to see," he said in a more seductive voice as he reached for the next button.

"...S-Sora, what the hell? You saw...? You heard?" this only added to her revelation that he wanted to use that _thing_.

"Of course. Remember the day we met? You said Riku was... hmm, how did you say it...? Oh, that's right. You said _the silver haired dude is hot_. Then asked for his number."

"So what? Just change somewhere else!" Kairi demanded.

He laughed and pulled a T-shirt and shorts out of his drawer. "Fine, I'll go somewhere else to change... if you _really_ want me to."

"Hurry up!"

"I'm just messing with you. I wasn't going to change in front of you."

"Ugh, just go!"

I-.-I

Sora came back a few minutes later dressed in a T-shirt and black shorts. Kairi was hiding under her covers.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Fine."

She couldn't take it anymore. Back to the matter at hand.

Kairi emerged from under the covers and gave him a blank stare. Confused, Sora just ignored it.

"Tell me about your family."

By being vaguely blunt, Kairi didn't feel like she was breaking any rules.

"Do I have to?" Sora's tone changed dramatically to a more uncomfortable one.

"...yes."

"I don't want to."

She wasn't getting her way. Kairi didn't like this.

"But I want to get to know you better! What could be so terrible?" Kairi reasoned.

"You can know anything but that." Sora got under his covers with his back facing her. "By the way, I'm going to an amusement park with Riku and Xion tomorrow. You can come if you want. Good night."

He always changed the subject. It only made him even more suspicious.

"I have one more question."

"...what?" he hesitated before answering.

"What's the condom for?"

I-.-I

Kairi shouldn't ask questions that would get her murdered.

Sora completely flipped out.

It was slightly amusing. He scolded her for going through his stuff, said something about points and kicking her out and now... well...

"I can't believe you did that." Sora was exhausted.

"We've been through this. Now get off of me."

"No."

"You're crushing my ribs."

"Those bony things?"

"The wooden floor is hurting my back."

"Shall we move to the bed?"

"You wish."

"I'm comfortable. You're warm." Sora rested his head on her chest. "I'm not even mad anymore."

Kairi was a little freaked out at how calm she was with Sora on top of her—yet again. This was starting to become a normal thing that she just decided to accept. All of the yelling and throwing things somehow led to this. It was all a blur—and she didn't even drink.

And she wasn't complaining.

"Fine, let's move to the bed." Kairi said boldly, but it was all an act.

"Really?"

"Yours or mine?"

"Isn't that a KY brand?" Sora asked, making the awkwardness come back.

"Just get up!"

Sora got off of her and sat up. Even though he didn't like that she went through his stuff, he still couldn't help but think she was beautiful. He couldn't stay mad at her. This was a common theme now. Sora slowly up and sat on his bed. Kairi stayed on the floor.

"Are you coming up here...?" he asked; his nervousness apparent. Even if he could just hold her, just for a moment... he would be happy.

"Why should I?" Kairi was being stubborn, but deep down she was afraid. She was afraid of getting closer to him.

"Because... I want to cuddle."

I-.-I

**A/N:** Sora's being a little bold, isn't he?

Thanks for the reviews and continued support. I'm sorry that it's taken so long to put this chapter up. I've had a few distractions which may be over now. Maybe.

I think at this point we are halfway through the story. WOO! Lots more drama to come. I'm excited. Please excuse the long breaks between updates if they do happen. Thanks for being so patient! I will try to finish this story by October. I have plans.

Yes, I realize this chapter is shorter. That's okay, right? Please leave a review!

I still want Riku and Kairi to be a thing. This will happen.


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